A primer on House Resolution 22, aka the SAVE Act – one of the most restrictive federal voting bills in modern history.
What?
This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR22, the so-called SAVE Act. If enacted, it would impose new and unnecessary barriers to voter registration for millions of eligible Americans. The bill is driven by requiring those registering to vote or updating their registration to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship in person, such as a birth certificate or passport.
So what?
According to the Brennan Center for Justice and other groups, more than 21 million Americans do not have immediate access to such documents, and nearly 4 million lack them altogether. This would result in a sharp reduction in ballot access, especially for elderly voters, young people, rural residents, women who have changed their names, people with disabilities, and those who already face challenges navigating the voter registration process.
Study after study shows that noncitizen voting is extremely rare and already illegal. In 2016, only 30 suspected cases of noncitizen voting were identified out of 23.5 million ballots cast, or just 0.0001%. Nebraska already verifies voter eligibility using secure and effective systems.
The SAVE Act doesn’t stop with voter registration. It also seeks to:
›› Prohibit states from counting mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day, even if they are postmarked on time. This would disenfranchise military voters, rural voters, and college students who vote by mail.
›› Subject election officials to criminal penalties or civil lawsuits for registering someone who doesn’t present the required paperwork, even if that person is, in fact, a citizen.
›› Undermine mail and online registration systems and chill community-based voter registration drives that help ensure broad and equitable participation.
Taken as a whole, HR22 is one of the most far-reaching voter suppression schemes in modern history.
Now what?
The measure heads to the U.S. Senate. There, it must gain the support of at least 60 senators to pass the chamber and move to the president’s desk. Many U.S. senators oppose HR22, and most congressional observers believe the measure is unlikely to reach the vote threshold required to advance. Still, citizens are encouraged to call their senators and share why this bill is a terrible idea.
