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, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act is a bill that requires all eligible voters to provide citizenship documentation to register to vote. The SAVE Act has passed the House, and it’s now in the Senate. It must be stopped!

If the SAVE Act becomes law, every single American citizen would have to show very specific documents, like a passport or an original birth certificate, in person when registering to vote and anytime they update their voter registration.

You may be among the millions of eligible voters who do not have the documentation required by the SAVE Act to prove your citizenship. The requirements of the potential law would unnecessarily burden many communities of eligible voters.

According to U.S. Census Bureau data for 2023, Vermont has 523,322 citizens of voting age, all of whom would likely be impacted by this law at some point in their lives.

Vermont has many military service members. If the SAVE Act becomes law, 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.

In 2024, about 4,000 Vermont homes were destroyed by flooding. Many of these families may have lost important documentation and, if the SAVE Act becomes law, would be required to replace these documents to register to vote while also going through the traumatic process of rebuilding their lives.

In Vermont, we have over 200,000 married women, many of whom changed their last name. If the SAVE Act becomes law, Americans who have changed their name would also be required to secure updated documentation to register to vote. Surveys show that eight in ten married women have changed their surname, 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.

According to 2023 U. S. Census data, about 40,000 Vermonters moved to a new residence within the state, and about 27,000 people moved into Vermont. Every time a voter moves, they must re-register to vote. If the SAVE Act becomes law, voters must show citizenship documentation every time they register, including after a move.

Citizens have a constitutional right to vote. However, there are many laws that are shaving down that right by creating barriers. The SAVE Act, if passed by the Senate and signed into law, will create major barriers to voting for many people in Vermont and nationwide, affecting the outcome of elections.

We must protect our elections. We must protect our right to vote.

Call your U.S. Senators and urge them to vote against the SAVE Act.

Contact all of your family members and friends who live in other states and urge them to contact their U.S. Senators to vote against the SAVE Act.

We cannot afford more attacks on our democracy!

Christina Wadsworth

Weybridge