Take Action and Tell Your Senators to Oppose the SAVE Act

Take Action and Tell Your Senators to Oppose the SAVE Act

What is the SAVE Act?

What is the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE Act)?

The United States House of Representatives has PASSED House Resolution (HR) 22, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require every eligible voter to provide documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. 

The vote goes to the U.S. Senate next. There's no time to wait. 

Protect the Right to Vote — Oppose the SAVE Act!
The SAVE Act may sound harmless, but it’s a dangerous step toward voter suppression. Requiring strict proof of citizenship could block millions of eligible voters — especially women, seniors, students, and communities of color — from participating in our democracy.

Here’s what you can do:

  • Call your Senators and urge them to vote NO on the SAVE Act
  • Write a Letter to the Editor (LTE Template)
  • Share this message and raise awareness
  • Stand up for free, fair, and accessible elections

VoteRiders Toolkit   Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Toolkit

Voting is a right — not a privilege. Don’t let red tape silence eligible American voices. Oppose the SAVE Act today!

TAKE ACTION

Who would the SAVE Act affect?

Every eligible voter could be unnecessarlity burdened by the SAVE Act at some point when they update or change their voter registration information. Certain communitites could be disproportionately affected, including:

  • Military Members: Services members would be required to present documentation every time they move and re-register to vote. Further, they would not be able to use their military ID alone to prove citizenship and would need additional documentation to show their birthplace or naturalization status. 
  • Natural Disaster Suvivors: Families impacted by natural disasters often lose important documentation. The SAVE Act would require them to jump through hoops to replace these documents and register to vote while also going through the traumatic process of rebuilding their lives.
  • Women, Trans Voters, and Anyone with a Changed Name: Americans who have changed their name, like married women and members of the trans community, would also be required to secure updated documentation to register to vote. There are an estimated 69 million American women who lack paperwork that reflects their current name. 
  • Rural voters, Working Class Voters, Voters of Color, and Older Americans: These voters are less likely to hold a passport or readily available birth certificate.
  • Tribal Citizens: Tribal voters would be unable to register using their Tribal ID alone. The SAVE Act would require Tribal ID to show the holder’s place of birth as the US, but most Tribal IDs do not list a place of birth.

More Talking Points

Is my ID valid for voter registration under the SAVE Act?

Goverment-issued driver's licenses --including REAL IDs--as well as militray or tribal IDs do not satisfy the bill's requirements. 

The propsosed legislation lists several different forms of identification that can be used to provide documentary proof of citizenship, such as passports, birth certificates, military IDs in combination with a record of service that lists a member's birthplace, certain tribal IDs, and a few others.  

However, the legislation is ambiguous regarding what additional documentation would be accepted if those items aren’t available or don’t match someone’s name or provide information about their birthplace.

Why is the SAVE Act harmful?

  • Voter photo ID and documentary citizenship laws have proven harmful.

Similar legislation has already been implemented by some states and has had a demonstrable, negative impact on voters’ ability to participate in elections. A survey in Wisconsin found that 10% of voters were deterred from voting because of challenges created by Wisconsin voter photo ID law. The study also estimates that number could be as much as three times as high among Black voters. 

  • 1 in 10 eligible U.S. voters do not have proof of citizenship documents readily available.

Many Americans don't have access to adequete documentation like birth certificates and passports in prove citizenship in person. The SAVE Act's proof of citizenship requirement would create massive barriers for eilgible voters - especially married women, naturalized citizens, trans and minority communities and elderly voters - suppressing millions of voters. 

The SAVE Act sounds like a safeguard — but it’s a smokescreen. It doesn’t stop fraud; it stops eligible Americans from voting.