Congress must defeat the SAVE Act

To the Editor:

The League of Women Voters urges Congress to defeat the deceptively named Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, introduced in the House of Representatives on January 3, 2025. This bill would make it harder for millions of Americans to vote by requiring “documentary proof of citizenship”—in person—to register to vote, to update one’s address, or to change party affiliation.

Voters in every state are already required to affirm or verify their citizenship status when registering. It is already illegal for non-citizens to register and vote in federal or state elections. As such, the SAVE Act is a scare tactic and a way to gin up hostility against voters who may “look” or “sound” foreign.

Further, the SAVE Act would end voter registration by mail and online registration. It discriminates against women who have been married and changed their names—or anyone who has had a name change—as it calls for matching the name on one’s birth certificate with one’s current name. It also burdens low-income voters, military voters, tribal voters, rural voters, and survivors of natural disasters or crime who may have lost their identifying documents. The Center for American Progress estimates that more than 140 million American citizens do not possess a passport; that’s roughly half of all citizens. More than 80% of American women do not have a birth certificate matching their legal name, and the SAVE Act doesn’t allow for tracing a name change through marriage records.

The nonpartisan League of Women Voters is dedicated to empowering voters and defending democracy. This means standing up against efforts to silence voters and, instead, ensuring that every voice is heard and every vote is counted. Please join us in urging our members of Congress to vote NO on the SAVE Act, and to ensure that every eligible US citizen has the freedom to vote unimpeded by discriminatory rules rooted in fear and division.

Sincerely,

League of Women Voters of Norwalk Steering Committee