The Congress will vote soon on the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act. It requires in-person proof of citizenship at every application to register or re-register to vote, even though voting by non-citizens has always been illegal and rare.

What is valid proof? Typically, your birth certificate, naturalization document, passport or REAL ID driver’s license is valid and sufficient. However, if your name has changed since those were issued, which many women do at marriage, you will have to produce a marriage license, adoption papers or name change documentation.

What’s the problem?

• “More than 21 million American citizens don’t have these documents readily ” People who changed their name at marriage or joined a religious order, who don’t have the money for a safe box, and disaster victims are especially likely to have difficulty finding these documents. People of color born at home where hospitals were segregated may never have been issued a birth certificate. Costs and time required to replace a missing birth certificate vary widely.
• Proof of citizenship must be presented in person. This is a hardship for people, especially those paid by the hour. Inevitably, some states will make their registration offices more conveniently located, better staffed and open longer than other states.
• Americans often move and each time would have to bring proof of citizenship to re-register to vote.
• However, this “… bill would obliterate or upend longstanding and popular methods of voter registration for all voters, including registration by mail, voter registration drives, online voter registration, and automatic voter registration.”
• In addition, the “SAVE Act does not contain a meaningful failsafe provision that would allow those without physical documentation to register. While the bill includes a provision requiring states to establish a failsafe process for those without citizenship documents to demonstrate their citizenship through “other evidence” and swearing to an affidavit, that option is vague and severely undercut by another provision making it a crime for election officials to register any applicant who does not “present documentary proof of United States citizenship.” Many election officials would be wary of risking criminal prosecution for running afoul of this provision.”
• It is already against the law for non-citizens to vote. Infractions are so rare that the only logical reason for this law is to discourage voting.
• Some states are introducing similar legislation for state elections. Has yours? 

What can YOU do? It’s urgent!

• Call your Senators and Representative to ask them to oppose it or thank them if they do already (they could always use the encouragement).
• Ask your friends to make calls or show up at town hall meetings, especially in states where there is support for this bill.

Source: SAVE Act Would Undermine Voter Registration for All Americans, Feb. 11, 2025 Brennan Center