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Under current U.S. law, non-citizens are already prohibited from registering to vote or voting in federal or state elections. Election officials around the country, including those in Nebraska, have robust verification systems in place to confirm voter eligibility. While no system is perfect, these safeguards are well established, and documented instances of non-citizen voting are exceedingly rare.
Despite this, the House of Representatives has already passed and the U.S. Senate is set to vote on the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, commonly referred to as the SAVE America Act. This proposal would require all eligible voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship.
Trump’s SAVE America Act would end voter registration drives nationwide
Under the SAVE America Act, people would have to show very specific documents that prove they are a citizen, such as a passport or an original birth certificate. They would have to present these in person when registering to vote, updating their voter registration and casting their ballot. This means that every time a voter re-registers because of a change of address, change of name or change of political party, they would have to prove their citizenship.
Online and mail-in voter registration would effectively be eliminated, requiring in-person visits to election offices. For many Nebraskans, especially those in rural areas, this could mean traveling long distances — sometimes hours — just to register or update their information. For others, including elderly voters, individuals with disabilities or those without reliable transportation, these additional steps could present serious obstacles to participation.
This proposed legislation goes far beyond Nebraska’s current voter ID law, which requires only a photo ID to vote. Under the proposed federal legislation, a standard driver’s license — even a REAL ID — would not be sufficient to prove citizenship.
You may be among the estimated 21 million eligible voters in the United States who lack ready access to the documentation required by this proposed law to prove your citizenship. The requirements of the SAVE America Act would place a costly, unnecessary burden on many communities of eligible voters.
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According to the 2020 census, we have 246,138 total citizens of voting age in Lancaster County, many of whom will likely be impacted by this law at some point in their lives.
Nationwide, surveys show that eight in 10 married women have changed their surname, meaning they do not possess a birth certificate that matches their current legal name and, therefore, could not present it as valid proof of citizenship. Individuals who were adopted as children who may not have original birth certificates with matching surnames may also face challenges obtaining the necessary paperwork.
Elderly voters who may have lost or never received their birth certificate will be impacted. Young voters. Voters of color. Native American voters. Rural voters. Low-income voters. Research shows all of these Americans face disproportionate barriers under the SAVE Act’s documentation requirements.
While it is possible to secure updated documents, it is not guaranteed, and the process can be costly and time-consuming. Ultimately, a valid passport will likely be the only acceptable identification that will fulfill the documentation requirements to first register to vote, and then to vote. It is estimated that only 50% of Americans have a valid passport.
Similar legislation to the SAVE America Act has been tested at the state level. Legislation in Arizona, Alabama, Kansas and Georgia, requiring documentary proof of citizenship in order for citizens to exercise their Constitutional right to vote, has been struck down because the requirement prevented eligible voters from registering.
The SAVE America Act was brought forth as a solution to a problem that does not exist. There is absolutely no evidence that high numbers of non-citizens are trying to register to vote, let alone voting in numbers that would influence the outcome of any election.
We remind our community that the right to vote is a constitutional right that belongs to every eligible citizen and the Save America Act threatens that right.
