SAVE Act would drastically change how Americans vote

This week, lawmakers in Congress renewed their push to pass the SAVE Act, rebranding it as the “SAVE America Act.” Last night, this bill passed the House and will move on to the Senate.

Although this legislation’s title suggests safeguarding Americans and ensuring election security, its actual impact would be catastrophic.

The SAVE America Act would impose sweeping new “show your papers” requirements that threaten to disenfranchise millions of eligible Americans, including hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians. It places new burdens on voters and election officials without addressing real problems. Mainly, it seeks to solve an issue that does not exist: noncitizens are already prohibited from registering to vote and checks are already in place to prevent ineligible voters from casting ballots.

The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania urges our Pennsylvania senators to reject this renewed effort to undermine Americans’ freedom to vote.

The SAVE America Act would require voters to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship in person when registering to vote, whether it be for the first time or when voters move, along with proof of state residency. It would also require proof of citizenship and photo ID not only for registration, but again when casting a ballot — including when requesting and submitting an absentee ballot.

This is not a minor paperwork adjustment. It is a fundamental change to how Americans exercise a constitutional right.

In Pennsylvania, that means hundreds of thousands of eligible voters could face new barriers. Voters who don’t have a passport or a copy of their birth certificate, voters who move and don’t update their driver’s licenses right away, married women who change their names and lack matching documentation, Americans living abroad, including members of the military and their families overseas, and naturalized citizens who would need to safeguard their original citizenship papers.

These are not hypothetical voters. They are our family, our friends, and our neighbors. They are people like you.

Election integrity and voter access are not at odds with one another. We can protect both without disenfranchising millions.

The SAVE America Act would add undue burden on voters, including travel, fees, lost work time, and bureaucratic hurdles to solve a problem that does not meaningfully exist.

There is simply no evidence of widespread noncitizen voting that justifies such sweeping restrictions, especially ones that rely on obtaining documents that are hard to get under the best circumstances, and are simply inaccessible for some.

This legislation is a gross example of federal overreach into our elections. Pennsylvania already has safeguards to ensure that only eligible citizens vote. Federal law requires voters to attest to citizenship under penalty of perjury. Election officials verify identity and eligibility. Adding unnecessary documentation does not strengthen democracy, it burdens it.

For over a century, the League of Women Voters has defended the right of eligible citizens to participate in our democracy. We do not support candidates or parties, but we will always stand for voter access and voting rights.

The original SAVE Act failed last year after widespread public opposition. The SAVE America Act is simply a new vehicle for the same restrictive policy. Election integrity and voter access are not at odds with one another. We can protect both without disenfranchising millions.

Democracy is strongest when all eligible citizens have their voices heard. For more than two centuries, our nation has moved — often imperfectly, but steadily — toward a more inclusive and participatory democracy.

The SAVE America Act reverses this progress by creating new barriers to a fundamental right. Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation must reject this bill and reaffirm a simple principle: If you are an eligible citizen in America, your right to vote should not depend on producing the right documentation at the right moment.

Our democracy depends on participation, not paperwork.

Amy Widestrom is executive director of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania.