The SAVE America Act, a federal elections overhaul bill, has been made more difficult to pass by the White House’s insistence on adding controversial provisions. The bill, which passed the House in February, focuses on adding strict new ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements for voting.
Proof of Citizenship
Individuals would have to present documents proving their citizenship, such as a birth certificate, US passport, or naturalization certificate, to register to vote. More than 21 million otherwise eligible voters do not have easy access to these citizenship documents.
Supporters of the bill argue that a REAL ID would suffice for meeting the citizenship document requirement. However, this is only true for the handful of states that issue REAL IDs indicating a person’s citizenship.
Voter Registration and ID Requirements
The bill would complicate online or mail voter registration, as applicants would have to go to their election office in person to show their proof of citizenship. The bill also requires voters to present valid photo identification to cast a ballot in federal elections.
Acceptable forms of ID include state-issued driver’s licenses, US passports, and those issued to military and tribal members. People seeking to vote by mail would need to submit copies of their IDs both when requesting an absentee ballot and when submitting it.
Consequences and Controversy
The legislation adds new penalties for election officials who run afoul of the law, including criminal penalties for registering a person to vote who has not met the bill’s proof of citizenship requirement. The bill also seeks to give private individuals and groups the ability to file civil lawsuits against election officials for registering people who have not shown proof of citizenship.
Trump has repeatedly demanded that the legislation ends most mail-in voting altogether, allowing only those who are disabled, ill, serving in the military, or traveling to vote absentee.
Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.
