Under current U.S. law, it is illegal for non-citizens to register and vote in federal or state elections. Additionally, we have robust processes to ensure that only eligible voters are casting ballots.
However, Congress is about to vote on a bill that requires all eligible voters to provide citizenship documentation to register to vote.
Under this law, every single American citizen would have to show specific documents in person, like a passport or an original birth certificate, when registering to vote and anytime he or she updates his or her voter registration.
You may be among the millions of eligible voters who do not have the documentation required by this law, called the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE Act, to prove your citizenship. The requirements of the SAVE Act would unnecessarily burden many communities of eligible voters.
We have over 9 million citizens of voting age in Illinois, all of whom would likely be negatively impacted by this law at some point in their lives:
- Americans who have changed their name, like married women, would also be required to secure updated documentation to register to vote. In Illinois, we have over 3 million women who are currently or were previously married (some now widowed or divorced). The majority of these women changed their last names at least once since birth. Surveys show that eight in 10 married women have changed their surnames, meaning they do not possess a birth certificate that matches their current legal name and, therefore, could not present it as valid proof of citizenship. There are an estimated 69 million American women who lack the paperwork that reflects their current names.
- In Illinois, we have over 900,000 eligible voters who have moved in the past year. Every time a voter moves, they must re-register to vote. Under the SAVE Act, voters must show citizenship documentation every time they register, including after a move. This includes senior citizens who move to independent or assisted care facilities, and for whom in-person registration and access to documents presents an unnecessary burden.
- Illinois also has over 20,000 active military service members. Military voters would be required to present documentation every time they re-register to vote when their family moves. Military service members would not be able to use their military ID alone to prove citizenship — they would still need additional documentation to show their birthplace or naturalization status.
Similar legislation has been tested at the state level. Arizona, Alabama, Kansas and Georgia have had actions requiring documentary proof of citizenship struck down because they prevented eligible voters from registering.
Americans do not need more obstacles to vote. Congress must act to ensure that every eligible U.S. citizen has the freedom to vote unimpeded by discriminatory rules rooted in fear and division. Contact your congressperson and tell him or her the proposed SAVE Act is unacceptable.
Becky Simon, president, League of Women Voters of Illinois
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