By Becky Tallent | FāVS News Columnist
The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News.
Recently, President Donald Trump said he will sign no more legislation until Congress passes the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.
But considering most states have voter photo ID laws in place, why this bill?
Rationale for the legislation is that noncitizens should be prevented from voting, something that is already illegal. One must ask: Is this really a major problem?
It is not a problem according to both the nonpartisan Brookings policy think tank and the conservative The Heritage Foundation. Those two groups have conducted studies which show no U.S. election outcome has ever been altered by noncitizen voting. In fact, research by The Heritage Foundation shows just the opposite is true.
Studies by both groups show that in the past 38 years, election fraud was found in far less than 1% (0.0001522 is the highest percentage) of any election. This includes noncitizens voting, in which the Heritage Foundation found only one case in their research.
A two-year research project by political scientists at Columbia University shows the rare fraud that was reported tended to come from “the loser of a close race, mischief and administrative or voter error.”
What the SAVE Act would actually require
So, what would the unfunded SAVE Act do?
Under the act, voters would need to prove their citizenship status when registering to vote, including both natural-born and those who have immigrated and attained citizenship. Citizens already registered to vote could have their registration removed without notice if their citizenship is questioned.
Opponents of the bill say this creates a hardship for millions of Americans who do not have a passport (only about 50% of Americans hold a valid passport) or access to paper copies of their state-generated birth certificate. State-generated because a birth certificate issued by a hospital is not considered official.
Women who changed their names on marriage and do not currently have a passport will be ineligible to vote because their name does not match the name on their birth certificate. The bill does not allow for a driver’s license — even a Real ID one — to be used as certification of citizenship because it does not list a person’s place of birth.
To get a U.S. passport, citizens must not only fill out the paperwork and have a passport photo taken, but they must also pay $130 for the passport book, plus an additional $30 if they get a passport card. If someone wants to expedite their processing, add an additional $60. If a passport is expired and a file search is needed for the records, that is $150. Getting a copy of a birth certificate ranges from state to state, usually $10 to $35.
In short, just obtaining documents to register could be considered an illegal poll tax on voters.
Similarly, tribal citizens will not be able to use their tribal-issued IDs alone unless the ID shows the person’s place of birth, which most do not. Military identification is likewise unacceptable under the legislation. The bill would also exclude birth certificates issued in U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico, Guam and American Samoa.
For citizens who vote by mail, with limited exceptions, the SAVE act would eliminate that option. It would also require citizens to present their documents in person, removing online voter registration.
Recently, Trump further confused the legislative intent saying he also wants more provisions added that have nothing to do with voting, including refusing men the right to play in women’s sports and prohibiting transgender surgeries for children.
The bottom line
Under the SAVE Act, millions of Americans voters would be disenfranchised or discouraged from voting. Voters removed from the polls would not be told in advance. The bill will create chaos at the ballot box rather than order. It would also create an undue, unfunded burden on local and state election officials who would need to check all the registrations and documents.
Rather than preserving the sanctity of voting, the SAVE Act would essentially attack the voting rights of millions of Americans.
Laws already exist protecting ballots, and there is no verified evidence of voter fraud. The SAVE Act is unnecessary and harmful to democracy as it would prevent millions of citizens from exercising their right to vote.
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