SAVE Will Not Save The U.S.

Alisha Subhahnoor

New York City, USA

Unseen Histories / Unsplash

On April the 10th, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, piece of legislation that requires anyone registering to vote to provide documentary proof of their U.S. citizenship, was approved by the U.S. House. Though it seems logical enough on paper, the SAVE Act would make it more difficult for active voters to participate in elections and set up barriers for those looking to register to vote. 

The SAVE Act was introduced in January of 2025, intended to stop those who are not U.S. citizens from being able to vote. As the bill states, “Each state must take affirmative steps on an ongoing basis to ensure that only U.S. citizens are registered to vote, which shall include establishing a program to identify individuals who are not U.S. citizens using information supplied by certain sources.” 

Though this might seem like an ingenious bill that would effectively stop noncitizens from voting, it would also prevent millions of American citizens  from being able to exercise their right to vote as well. The list of those who would be affected is extensive, as it includes 21.3 million people who do not have access to the documents that would be their proof of citizenship and 146 million who do not own a passport. In comparison, in the 2024 presidential election, only 153 million people voted. Though there could be many reasons why someone does not have access to their papers, at least 3.8 million people do not have access specifically because their documents have been burnt, lost, or destroyed in some way. There is also a racial disparity concerning these numbers; nearly 11 percent of these people are Americans of color. 

Even disregarding the 21.3 million who do not have access to their papers, there are many people whose names do not match their identification papers, rendering them unable to vote. According to the 2024 estimate published by the U.S. Census Bureau, women make up 50.5% of the population and as many as 69 million women have taken their spouse’s name. This means that women who changed their names do not have a birth certificate that matches their legal name, which renders their birth certificate useless if they try to use it to provide evidence of their ability to vote. 50,000 to 85,000 people also change their names legally each year, meaning that these people would also be unable to use their birth certificates. 

Many barriers would also be put into place even for those who are not in the groups aforementioned. Since the bill requires every person to present their documents in person, this would spell the end to voting by mail, voter registration drives, and online voter registration. Therefore, the bill disadvantages people who live in rural areas who would have to drive long distances to get to voting sites, as well as those who are disabled and might not be able to travel. Military and tribal identification cards would also not be accepted as ID by this bill, disadvantages both military members and Indigenous peoples. 

The SAVE Act will prevent and create barriers for those who vote in the name of ridding ourselves of the miniscule number of noncitizens who vote illegally. If the SAVE Act passes, it could disenfranchise tens of millions of Americans.