14 April 2025 - How the SAVE Act Could Impact Married Women’s Voting Rights
Will the SAVE Act make it harder for married women to vote? We ask legal experts
Juliana Kim (NPR, 13/04/2025)
As the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act heads to the Senate, there has been growing debate on how the bill may affect voting for millions of married women, particularly those who have changed their last names, if it becomes law. The legislation, known as the SAVE Act, looks to make sweeping reforms on voter registration. It was introduced in response to fears about voter fraud, though research has consistently showed that such incidents are exceedingly rare and not a significant factor in American elections.
House passes bill to require proof of citizenship to register to vote, drawing ire of voting rights groups
John Parkinson and Oren Oppenheim (ABC News, 11/04/2025)
In a vote on Thursday, the House of Representatives passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a bill Republicans have celebrated but that has drawn the ire of voting rights groups and most congressional Democrats. The bill passed with 220 votes in favor and 208 opposed. Four Democrats joined the Republican majority in the House to advance the bill.
What is the SAVE Act and why are married women concerned? Here's what to know
Mary Walrath-Holdridge ,Karissa Waddick and Riley Beggin (USA Today, 12/04/2024)
The GOP-led House of Representatives has passed a voting bill that opponents have said could disenfranchise millions of voters, including tens of millions of married women. The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, first introduced last year by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, is presented by Republican proponents as necessary legislation to safeguard elections and prevent noncitizens from voting, which is already illegal and exceedingly rare.
9 Things to Know About the Proposed SAVE Act
Katy Owens Hubler (NCSL, 25/03/2025)
Congress and many state legislatures are focusing on the same thing: ensuring that only U.S. citizens can vote. The U.S. House is expected to consider the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act next week. The bill would amend the National Voter Registration Act to require voter registration applicants to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to vote in federal elections. A similar bill passed out of the House in 2024 but stalled in the Senate. In the states, verifying citizenship for voters is the most significant elections trend NCSL is tracking this year. Over 160 bills have been introduced offering a wide variety of approaches to ensuring only eligible U.S. citizens can vote; some ask the voter to take action, others give state election officials tools to check citizenship status. In 2024, New Hampshire and Louisiana both passed bills requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register, and Wyoming is the first state to do so in 2025.
Seal of the United States House of Representatives. Wikipedia, Public domain.