WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05) released the following statement on H.R. 22, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which passed out of the House of Representatives, 220 to 208, on Thursday, April 10, 2025:
“Today, I cast my vote against the SAVE Act, dangerous legislation that would severely impede the ability of American citizens, including veterans, married women, and those without passports, to exercise their right to vote in federal elections.
“The SAVE Act would require voter registration applicants to show up in person and produce documents verifying citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate, each time they register or re-register to vote. This would block millions of Americans from voting, as it is estimated that over 21 million Americans do not readily have these documents. For over one hundred years, noncitizens have been barred from voting in federal elections, and in 1996, Congress made it a federal crime for non-citizens to vote in federal elections. These laws are still in place and enforced. All states require new voters to attest to their U.S. citizenship when they register, and all states conduct voter list maintenance to identify potentially ineligible voters on the rolls.”
"There is no credible evidence of undocumented people voting in federal elections. And yet, under the SAVE Act, the vast majority of Americans would be denied the ability to register and vote using standard state-issued identification, such as a driver's license, Tribal or military ID. The SAVE Act could also pose barriers to millions of American women who have changed their legal name because of marriage, as it requires the name on a birth certificate to match the ID presented from the restrictive list of acceptable documents. Americans living overseas, including U.S. service members and families, will be impacted. Since 1986, they have been able to register online and vote by absentee ballot. The SAVE Act would end both mail-in and online voter registration, which could prevent millions of Americans living overseas from exercising the right to vote.”
"The impact of this legislation would be far-reaching and destructive. The SAVE Act does not authorize federal funding for the new state responsibility it creates and represents a hostile takeover of state-run elections by Congress, severely restricting the ability of Americans to register and participate in elections and ultimately depriving millions of their fundamental constitutional right to vote. The SAVE Act has been met with strong and unified opposition from numerous groups who recognize the inherent dangers these policies pose to our democracy. National and local organizations, including the ACLU, NAACP, League of Women Voters, Southern Poverty Law Center, and American Association of People with Disabilities, have all signed a letter, spearheaded by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, expressing deep concerns.
"Our focus should be on enacting legislation like the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which safeguards the right to vote, rather than enacting laws that disenfranchise Americans."
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