Voting Rights

LWV supports citizens' right to vote*

The League of Women Voters misson has been unwavering for over 100 years: to uphold and protect the right of every United States citizen to vote, regardless of political party. The rule of law, individual rights, and fair elections are values that are shared by multiple political parties. This includes preserving our three branches of government that are regulated by a system of checks and balances that limit government power and protect personal freedoms as outlined in the U.S. Constitution.

*Voting rights are outlined here.

Voting Rights Changes since January 2025

March 25, 2025: Executive order*

* Court rulings rendered the executive order largely unenforceable (see below).

This executive order (Order) attempts to:

Require further proof of citizenship for voter registration beyond what is required today.
Require paper ballots only
Restrict mail-in voting
Use federal agencies to verify citizenship and share personal data.
Decertifying voting machines
Privacy concerns with DOGE accessing voter data.
Withold federal grant funding from states counting mail-in ballots received after election day.

April 2025 federal court rulings: Parts of this order were blocked by a federal court based on multiple lawsuits challenging the legality of this Order, The ruling determined that the President does not have the power to regulate federal elections and so the President's order violates our Constistution and violates existing laws like the National Voter Registration Act. A second federal judge blocked parts of the Order ruling that requirements stated in the Order would “burden the States with significant efforts and substantial costs”.

April 2025: SAVE Act HR22 & February 2026: SAVE Act HR7296

Why 2 SAVE Acts? H.R. 22 failed Congressional approval before the end of their session, and bills don’t carry over automatically between sessions. H.R. 7296 (Act) is another attempt to pass similar policy in the February 2026 session of Congress.

This Act is similar to the Order, with some differences. The Order limits itself from being enforceable and is mostly blocked or unsettled in court. The Act, if approved by Congress, embeds its requirements into federal law.

HR7296 is a federal overhaul of voter registration and verification rules with strict documentation required for voter eligibility. It is not clear what problem this solves for American citizens, as there is no evidence that suggests voter fraud by non-citizens is present. If the Act is enacted:

Proof of citizenship will be mandatory to register to vote. Citizens would have to provide documents showing U.S. citizenship (e.g., passport, birth certificate or military ID with proof of birthplace). If your name changed since birth, you would need additional documents that show your current name and link it to your citizenship (passport, birth certificate plus name-change evidence).
States would be required to follow more formal processes tied to Federal monitoring and approval.
Criminal penalties would be imposed on election officials who knowingly or unknowingly allowed improper registration.
Photo ID would be requried at the polls: Ballots mailed in would have to include a copy of the photo ID.

LWV Legal Action To Preserve Voting Rights

League of Women Voters filed a lawsuit in coordination with other voting rights groups and lawsuits by attorneys general from several states.
League of Women Voters submitted comments to the Election Assistance Commission's (EAC) Technical Guidelines Development Committee (TGDC) on July 02, 2025