End Voter Suppression

If you are a married woman, a transgender individual, or anyone else who has legally changed their name, or if you do not currently have a copy of your birth certificate, you may not be allowed to vote in the midterms.

​

Write to your Senators telling them to vote NO to the SAVE Act!

​​

In April of 2025, the House passed the SAVE (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility) Act, a measure that would require all voters to provide a passport OR a birth certificate and a photo ID, in order to vote. This proposal has not come up for a vote yet in the Senate.

 

While it may sound reasonable on the surface, there are some catches written into this legislation, as it was worded when it passed the House, that would severely impact the ability to vote for certain citizens: married women, transgender citizens, and low-income communities.

 

Why? Because:

1. Many people may not actually have their birth certificates handy and would need to request them from the government and await processing and deliivery.

2. Passports are expensive and usually held only by higher-income individuals, and

3. The name on the photo ID (but not the passport) must match the name on the birth certificate.

4. It specifically disallows online and mail-in voter registration. 

​

What this means is:

1. Anyone who does not have their birth certificate or a valid passport available as proof of citizenship would be banned from voting,

2. Anyone who has legally changed their name, ever, would be disqualified from voting unless they have a current passport. A real ID or other photo ID cannot be used as proof of identity if the name doesn't match the birth certificate name, but the passport, an expensive document low-income citizens should not be required to purchase in order to vote, will be permitted.

3. Anyone who cannot register to vote in person would not be able to register.

​

This article, written in April, 2025 after the Act passed the House, provides more details.