‘They’re coming after women’s suffrage’: Republicans reintroduce SAVE Act to create voting barriers for married women
The GOP-controlled Congress has reintroduced the Save Act, a bill that Republicans claim is to prevent undocumented immigrants from voting, but that is really aimed at taking away millions of women’s right to vote.
Republicans have long pushed a false narrative that there’s widespread voter fraud happening in U.S. elections, including a conspiracy that non-U.S. citizens are voting for Democrats. Thus, they keep pushing for voter ID laws, proof of citizenship laws, or voter registration roll purges of anyone they suspect of not being a citizen. However, there already are effective laws in place to prevent voter fraud, and that make it illegal for non-citizens to vote. Hence, the real reason that Republicans keep introducing these arbitrary laws aimed at a non-existent problem is because the real goal is voter suppression. For example, voter ID laws disproportionately impact marginalized populations, such as seniors, Indigenous communities, and Black Americans, because they’re less likely to have an acceptable photo ID. These aren’t the only groups that Republicans are interested in suppressing, though.
Leading up to the 2024 Presidential election, many Republican men were enraged by the idea that their wives would exercise their right to vote and vote differently than them. Indeed, the majority of female voters sided with Kamala Harris in the election. Now, Republicans are revisiting and pushing for an idea they introduced last year to take away women’s voting rights.
What is the SAVE Act?
Last year, Rep. Chip Roy introduced the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act or the SAVE Act. The bill is one of the most extreme in terms of constructing barriers to voting, as it demands voters provide documented proof of citizenship. Voters would no longer be able to use their regular driver’s license to vote. Instead, they would need an Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL), which is only offered in five states. Hence, most voters would need a passport or birth certificate to vote. However, there’s one glaring problem: most married women don’t have a birth certificate that matches their legal name. Since most married women take on their husband’s last name, they wouldn’t be able to use their birth certificates as proof of citizenship. Unless they have the time/money to get a passport, they’ll be denied their right to vote.
Despite its extreme barriers to voting, the Save Act passed the House last year before stalling in the Senate. Of course, Republicans have kept their eye on it, especially now that they have the majority in Congress. According to VoteBeat, House Republicans have selected the bill as one of a dozen to fast-track to the House floor for a vote. For context, 69 million married women in America do not have birth certificates with their legal name and are in danger of losing their voting rights if the bill passes.
TikTok influencer Millennial Mia warned users of the bill’s real purpose: “They’re coming after women’s suffrage.” Other users have even warned women not to change their names going forward or, if possible, to start the process of changing them back already. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
The obstacles for married women aren’t even the only barriers the bill creates, as anyone who cannot get ahold of their birth certificate or can’t afford a passport will be denied voting rights. Also, the proof of citizenship stipulation will likely require all voting and voter registration to occur in person, thus writing off anyone who doesn’t have transportation to voting polls. Voters will also need to provide these documents every time they move. The hassle and strain it will put on voting poll workers and voters will likely result in many simply not voting or registering to vote. Again, there’s no valid reason for this bill’s existence aside from ensuring that men and the most privileged in society have the most effortless time voting while everyone else faces obstacles.
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