What You Should Know About the SAVE Act's Effect on Married Women's Voting Rights

The SAVE Act: What is it?

All individuals registering to vote will need to present proof of citizenship in person at a voter registration location under the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.

Voters are no longer able to register to vote online or by mail. The bill's proponents claim that noncitizen voting will be abolished. Opponents claim that this will just make voting more difficult for citizens and that numerous studies have revealed no indication of widespread voter fraud.

A passport, birth certificate, or any type of identification that certifies citizenship, like a naturalization card, is required as proof of citizenship under the SAVE Act.

Concerns have been expressed over how married women who might not have a last name that matches their birth certificates might register to vote if they were required to provide both identification and a birth certificate.

The SAVE Act states that any poll worker who violates its guidelines will be imprisoned, but it offers no advice on how to handle this.

Will married women be prevented from voting by the SAVE Act?

Not right away. The 69 million married women whose names do not match their birth certificates will find it more difficult to register to vote in the first place, though.

Married women are permitted to bring their passports in their place, yet over 146 million Americans lack a passport and might not afford the extra $130 to buy one. Additionally, it takes time for passports to be delivered, which many people might not have if they are registering to vote near the deadline in their state.

States will be able to determine their own SAVE Act parameters, according to the bill, although it does not provide funding for this.

An amendment to the measure proposed by Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Dexter would halt the SAVE Act until further research could be done and it could be definitively stated that it would not prevent married women from registering to vote. Republicans blocked this amendment.