The Safeguard American Voters Eligibility Act (SAVE Act) is a bill proposed to “[require] individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections,” according to congress.gov, which was recently passed in the House of Representatives. The bill itself has had very divided reactions, with some support and hate. While it still has many supporters, I firmly believe that this bill not only promotes injustice, but is unconstitutional at its core.
On Jan. 23, 1964, the 24th Amendment was ratified, officially abolishing poll taxes and eliminating financial barriers to voting. The assumption that most Americans have a birth certificate or passport readily available with their birth name would also be incorrect, as around 50% of Americans do not own passports and 25% have mismatched names on their documents according to USA Today. So instead of affecting non-citizens, it would more likely affect married women, people in poverty and the transgender community, all groups that have faced previous prejudice in the United States. Dismissing this attack on their constitutional rights by saying the bill only affects a minuscule portion of the population is factually incorrect and, frankly, un-American.
It is most important to note that non-citizen voting, exactly what this bill alleges to target, is incredibly uncommon in the United States. Not only is it extremely rare, but it is already illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections. For example, after thorough investigation, Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry revealed that there were only 390 non-citizens on the state’s voter roll back in September. Which isn’t even a dent in the state’s almost three million registered voters.
All in all, the SAVE Act would end up creating voting barriers for plenty of American people rather than actual non-citizens. Making this no longer a partisan issue, or a battle between right or left, but rather a matter of constitutional rights and human decency.
