GOP 'Save Act' May Disenfranchise Married Women, Overseas Voters Including the Military [View all]

The Republican-controlled House passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE Act) Thursday, largely along party lines, requiring "documentary proof of United States citizenship," to vote in federal elections.

The text of the bill requires Americans to present a U.S. passport, a birth certificate, a military I.D., or a state issued I.D. that shows the applicant was born in the United States, in order to register to vote in federal elections. It also requires applicants to present the documents in person to an election official in their voting district.

The bill has outraged voting rights activists because of its potential to disenfranchise millions of legal voters, especially voters in rural communities, students, disabled and seniors, who may not possess the required documentation, and/or may not be able to physically get themselves to an elections office where they will be required to present the documents in person.

It also has the real potential to disenfranchise married women who have changed their last names. If an applicant doesn't have a U.S. passport, or another federal document that proves citizenship under their current legal name, the alternate required documentation are birth records proving they were born in the United States, which may result in women who do not use their birth names being denied voter registration.

https://meidasnews.com/news/gop-save-act-may-disenfranchise-married-women-overseas-voters-including-the-military