The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, recently reintroduced in Congress, is stirring up a storm of controversy, and for good reason. While its stated aim is to prevent non-citizens from voting (a practice already illegal nationwide) the act's stringent requirements could disenfranchise millions of eligible American voters, especially married women.

One of the most alarming aspects of the SAVE Act is its mandate for in-person voter registration with documentary proof of citizenship, like a passport or birth certificate. This poses a significant hurdle for women who have changed their names due to marriage - about 8 in 10 women.

Imagine the bureaucratic nightmare of matching your current identification for your voter registration, particularly if you don’t have a passport. And it’s important to note, about 50% of Americans do not have a valid passport. If you changed your last name when you got married, your birth certificate would show a different last name than your license. And this would pose a massive hurdle to voter accessibility. Voting rights groups warn that this could disproportionately affect married women, potentially silencing their voices at the polls. 

But the ripple effects don't stop there. The act also threatens to dismantle online and mail-in voter registrations, third-party registration drives, and automatic voter registration when applying for a driver's license. These methods have been fundamental in increasing voter participation, especially among busy women balancing careers, families, and personal commitments. Eliminating these options could lead to decreased voter turnout, ultimately undermining the democratic process.

Accessing original birth certificates or obtaining a passport can be time-consuming and costly—barriers that disproportionately affect low-income women, women of color, and those in rural areas. Over 20 million US citizens don’t have easy access to these kinds of documents. This could discourage or prevent these women from exercising their right to vote, further marginalizing already underrepresented communities.

Critics argue that the SAVE Act's extreme measures are a solution in search of a problem, given the lack of evidence for widespread voter fraud by non-citizens. Instead, these measures risk disenfranchising voters, in particular women who have changed their names. As the debate over the SAVE Act unfolds, it's crucial to consider its potential impact on voting rights and ensure that efforts to protect election integrity do not come at the expense of inclusivity and accessibility. 

In a time when women's voices are more critical than ever, any legislation that could suppress those voices warrants thorough scrutiny. The SAVE Act, while supposedly aimed at safeguarding voter eligibility, may, in fact, create more obstacles than solutions, particularly for women. As this bill moves through the legislative process, it's imperative to weigh its potential consequences carefully to ensure that the right to vote remains a cornerstone of our democracy for all citizens.

This article was written in partnership with HeadCount. Click here if you want to verify your voter registration and make sure you’re good to go. If you’re looking for a way to contact your representatives, our friends at VoteRiders have this tool: https://www.voteriders.org/save-action/.