The Congressional bill Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act is expected to be voted on by the U.S. House of Representatives this week.
The SAVE Act proposes making changes to the National Voter Registration Act so that voter registration applicants would be required to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship in order to vote in federal elections.
The act was first introduced last year after President Donald Trump made an unsubstantiated claim that non-citizens were a major threat to the integrity of the 2024 Presidential Election.
What is the SAVE Act? What to know about the proposed bill
Under the SAVE Act, both new and existing voters will be required to show proof of citizenship when completing or updating their voter registrations.
Critics of the SAVE Act have said that such proposed changes to registration would likely dampen voter participation, as numerous citizens have said that they do not have easy access to the necessary documents that would be required of them.
In relation to this, one in 10 eligible U.S. voters, approximately 21.3 million citizens, don’t have access to, or don’t posses at all, proof-of-citizenship documents, NPR reported.
Necessary proof-of-citizenship documents that would need to be presented under this act include birth certificates, passports or naturalization certification. If voters do not have a citizenship document with a photo, like a passport, they would need to show a government-issued photo ID along with a document proving citizenship, such as a birth certificate.
Volunteers from area civic organizations help people register to vote, during the Upstate National Voter Registration Day Coalition event at the Greenville County Government Building in Downton Greenville, S.C. Tuesday, September 17, 2024, National Voter Registration Day.
This proposed change in citizenship documentation requirements could pose difficulties for married women who have changed their last names, as their birth certificates would not match their current names. In this case, additional documentation, such as a name change document or marriage certificate, would be required for voter registration, reported NPR.
What are the current federal voting laws?
Currently, the federal voter registration form requires voters to swear, under penalty of perjury, that they are U.S. citizens, with some states taking additional steps to verify citizenship. If a non-citizen were to attempt to vote, they would face penalties including jail, fines and deportation.
Under federal law, only U.S. citizens are permitted to vote in federal and state elections, with the decision of how to enforce this requirement left up to the states.
In relation to this, all 50 states require that new voters attest to their U.S. citizenship when registering to vote, with all states conducting voter list maintenance in order to identify potentially ineligible voters on the rolls, although how states do that varies, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Presley Bo Tyler is a reporter for the Louisiana Deep South Connect Team for Gannett/USA Today. Find her on X @PresleyTyler02 and email at PTyler@Gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: What is the SAVE Act? What to know about the act’s voting requirements
