Advancement Project Reaction to the SAVE Act Passing the House of Representatives
April 10, 2025
Washington, DC– Despite numerous calls to Congress and floods of concerns from constituents at town hall events, today the House of Representatives passed the “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility” (SAVE) Act (H.R.22/S.128). This act would make it significantly harder for millions of eligible voters to register to vote and have their voices heard.
“The SAVE Act would require every U.S. citizen to provide documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote, even though millions of people don’t have it readily available,” said John Powers, director of Power and Democracy at Advancement Project. “Everyone should have their voices heard at the ballot box – that is the definition of democracy. This is a transparent attempt to suppress the vote, especially impacting communities of color, poor people, and married women who changed their name.”
The redundant and unnecessary proof of citizenship requirement in the SAVE Act would prevent millions of eligible American citizens from registering or re-registering to vote by requiring them to show up in-person with a passport or birth certificate. This is yet another barrier to voting that would impact 21 million Americans who do not have these documents readily available such as military voters, tribal voters, rural voters, trans voters, survivors of natural disasters, and the tens of millions of married women in America who have changed their legal names.
States already have adequate tools available to verify that voters are who they say they are. Election officials already use extensive state and federal data to verify an individual’s eligibility to cast a ballot. Instead of proceeding with this dangerous anti-voter bill, Congress should take actions that will strengthen our elections and ensure that all eligible voters have access to the ballot box – including the Freedom to Vote Act, John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, the Native American Voting Rights Act and DC Statehood. Together, these bills would protect our democracy, defend it against the relentless ongoing threats, and ensure that the voices and votes of all voters are heard in our elections.
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Advancement Project is a next-generation, multi-racial civil rights organization. Rooted in the great human rights struggles for equality and justice, we exist to fulfill America’s promise of a caring, inclusive and just democracy. We use innovative tools and strategies to strengthen social movements and achieve high impact policy change. We are a co-convener of the National Campaign for Police Free schools, a formation of 20+ youth-led grassroots organizations fighting to end the criminalization of youth in the classroom, create liberatory educational spaces, and implement an affirmative vision of safety and transformative justice. Visit www.advancementproject.org to learn more.
