Stand UP Against
The SAVE ACTThe SAVE Act is a direct threat to our right to free and fair elections. It’s time to take action.
To preserve our democracy, we must ensure that every eligible American has the opportunity to vote so that the results of our elections reflect the will of the people.
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE Act), a bill recently introduced by Congress, will create new barriers to voter registration and will restrict Americans’ freedom to vote. Below is detailed information on the SAVE Act and the impact it would have on our nation’s voting laws if passed.
THE SAVE ACT
The SAVE Act is proposed federal legislation that includes a set of reforms that will:
- Require all voters to provide citizenship documents every time they register to vote–including when they change their name, address, or party affiliation.
- Require voters to register in-person, eliminating modern and convenient options including online voter registration, registering by mail, and voter registration drives.
- Threaten the registrations of eligible voters by requiring states to actively conduct ongoing purges to the voter rolls.
We broke the bill down into three categories below.
Proof of Citizenship Requirements
The SAVE Act would require all voters to provide a document such as a passport or a birth certificate to register or update their voter registration. This means that:
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- Government-issued driver’s licenses—including REAL IDs as they exist now—as well as military or tribal IDs alone would no longer satisfy voter registration requirements.
- Other ways to verify citizenship, like providing your Social Security Number on your voter registration application, will not be enough – only providing citizenship documents in person. Due to lack of access to proper documentation, young people, people of color, married women, and people from low or no income backgrounds would disproportionately be suppressed by the SAVE Act.
Voter Registration Restrictions
Under the SAVE Act, voters would be required to visit their local election office, in person, with the necessary documentation to register to vote or to update their registration. This means that:
- Mail and online voter registration services that are currently available in almost every state would be functionally eliminated.
- Voter registration drives would become virtually ineffective.
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Voter Roll Purges
If passed, the SAVE Act would demand states actively conduct ongoing purges to the voter rolls even though much of the data that would be used to conduct these purges is known to be inaccurate. The SAVE Act would not require officials to notify registered voters before their removal from the voter rolls. This means that:
- The registrations of millions of eligible voters would be wrongfully cancelled.
- Citizens who are improperly purged might not learn about their registration status until they show up to their polling place on Election Day.
Impact by the Numbers
%
of voting-age citizens (21.3 million) cannot readily access documents to prove their citizenship.
%
of the population will not be able to use their birth certificates under the SAVE Act as their certificate does not match their current last name.
Approximately 146 million American citizens do not have a valid U.S. Passport.
Sources: 1) Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement, 2) Center for American Progress
and 3) Center for American Progress
Take Action
Share our Explainer on The SAVE Act with your friends, family, and community to get conversations started about the harmful impacts this bill could have on voter registration and civic participation.
Call your Representatives and tell them to oppose the SAVE Act. You can find your elected officials’ contact information here.
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