Maeve Bidonde, Staff Writer
On Thursday, Apr. 10, The SAVE Act was passed by The House of Representatives which requires proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote. Republicans have argued the act prevents any attempts to subvert an election. However, this act could have negative ramifications on the ability to vote in the country.
According to AP News, instances of a non-citizen voting are rare and records from multiple states show that those instances were mistakes. Voter Rights groups have also come forward with concerns about the ramifications the act will have for women who get married, change their name, and move which require them to update their registration.
The SAVE Act will require your Real ID or passport to match the name on your birth certificate. According to USA Today, the issue is when someone gets married and changes their name, their birth certificate no longer reflects the same name on the documents. This could block married women from exercising their right to vote.
The author of the bill, Republican Representative Chip Roy, did briefly acknowledge as much in a hearing on the legislation. “We have mechanisms giving the state fairly significant deference to make determinations as to how to structure the situation where an individual does have a name change,” said Roy according to AP News.
Meanwhile, Democrats have pointed out the proposed legislation should have a procedure for directions laid out in case a name change situation arises, instead of creating the possibility of having different rules for it.
Republicans brought forward this legislation because any instances of a non-citizen voting is unacceptable and undermines confidence in elections. Democrats have pushed back by reminding Republicans that non-citizen voting is already illegal, penalties include fines, and the possibility of deportation making the legislation redundant.
“Our careful review confirms what we already knew – that this illegal activity is very rare,” said Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in a statement given about the legislation according to AP News. “While we take all violations of election law very seriously, this tiny fraction of potential cases in Michigan and at the national level do not justify recent efforts to pass laws we know would block tens of thousands of Michigan citizens from voting in future elections.”
Now that the act has been passed, the bill will have to be approved by the Senate. The Senate will have the final word of whether or not the act will go into legal effect. For the bill to pass the House it would need the vote of every Republican and seven Democrats. The future of the SAVE Act and those who would be affected by it are yet to be seen.
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