The SAVE Act will make it harder to vote on election day for citizens.

In February, the House of Representatives passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act. The SAVE Act’s goal would ensure that only American citizens are voting in federal elections. President Trump has been adamant about passing the restrictive bill in the Senate. He has threatened to not sign any other bills until the SAVE Act is passed. The act would make it wildly harder for many Americans to vote. Trump cares to control who votes, because it keeps the Republican party in power indefinitely. 

Trump has stated in previous years that Democrat officials “rig elections” because they allow for noncitizens to vote. Trump has made unsubstantiated claims about large numbers of noncitizens voting in federal elections. Non-citizens are unable to vote in federal elections, and it is exceedingly rare that noncitizens vote. 

The SAVE Act would require voters to show documents proving citizenship in order to register to vote and provide photo ID at time of voting. That would end people being able to register with their drivers license because it does not prove citizenship. Other provisions of the act would include an end to mail-in ballots unless for special circumstances, criminalization of election workers for registering a voter without proof of citizenship, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) creating a database to find noncitizens on state voter rolls. Amendments on banning transgender athletes from participating in female sports and gender-affirming care for minors were recently included. 

Around twenty one million Americans do not have any access to proper documentation proving citizenship. The most common sources of citizenship would be a passport or birth certificate. Around half of American citizens do not have a passport. Almost four million citizens do not have a birth certificate. Married women that take their husband’s last name would have a passport or birth certificate that does not match their married name. In addition, many in rural states depend upon mail-in ballots if they do not have readily access to a polling place. The DHS plans to make a database with state voter rolls will potentially cause people to be deported or detained. 

Trump has called for Senate Majority Leader John Thune to eliminate the sixty vote filibuster to allow Republicans to pass the bill. Thune has rejected the demand, stating there are not enough votes for that to occur. Trump has stated he would not promote any lawmakers not voting for the SAVE Act for midterm elections. Trump shared on Truth Social that “Democrats will not win an election for fifty years and maybe longer” if the SAVE Act went into effect. 

The SAVE Act should not be passed because it discourages citizens from collectively voting. Trump does not truly believe voter fraud is an immense issue that needs to be solved. The act was never about protecting the integrity of federal elections but controlling the outcomes of them.