SAVE Act opponents say it would affect PA women, voters of color

Months ahead of the midterm elections, federal lawmakers are considering sweeping new rules for voters – and voting-rights advocates say the changes could have serious consequences in Pennsylvania.

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE Act is in the U.S. Senate after narrowly passing the House last spring.

Deb Landau, program director for policy and advocacy with the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, said the new rules would require people to show proof of citizenship, in person, to register to vote – with only a few documents accepted, like birth certificates or passports.

Landau said a change like that would hit women, people of color, and rural voters hardest.

“Over half of Americans do not have a passport,” said Landau. “The statistics show that 21 million eligible voters don’t have ready access available to these documents – so, maybe they don’t know where they are – maybe they’re in a safety deposit box, maybe they were lost. They don’t know.”

She added that some 3.8 million people nationwide don’t have these documents at all – often due to a loss, like a natural disaster, or cost barriers. Supporters of the bill say it would protect election integrity by blocking noncitizen voting.

Landau pointed out that most women have married names that don’t match their birth certificates, creating 69 million mismatches to sort out.

She added that the bill is about more than voter ID. It would require proof of citizenship, which a Pennsylvania Real ID doesn’t provide – although many assume it does.

“We already do have voter ID laws here,” said Landau. “It is already illegal for noncitizens to register to vote, to cast a ballot, and the rate of noncitizens voting is incredibly small. It is like .0003%.”

For voters registering by mail, the SAVE America Act would mandate that proof of citizenship be submitted in person at an election office, undermining the convenience of mail-in registration.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Related: Opinion: Pennsylvanians deserve true, early, in-person voting