The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act was introduced to Congress in January 2025. It has since passed the House of Representatives. Now, President Donald Trump eagerly awaits the Senate’s approval, signing away over a century of women’s rights and voting rights, all while benefiting his administration. The alarm bells are sounding; this isn’t a democracy funded bill, and it will destroy U.S. foundations.
The SAVE Act, or H.R. 22, would require citizens to provide additional documentation and proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. While the potential intention was to prevent immigrants from voting, women are also in danger. Without a valid identification, women would have to resort to their birth certificates or valid passports.
The Brennan Center for Justice’s research shows more than 21 million Americans lack access to these important documents. The U.S. Department of Justice also found 27.3 million Americans owned valid passports, including 4.5 million passport cards, in 2025. That leaves millions of citizens, especially women. Without a passport, women must reach for their birth certificate, with most containing a different last name (around 69 million women), invalidating their citizenship in the eyes of the Republicans.
The SAVE Act also aims to eliminate voter fraud with these barriers to identification, but it will not help. That was one of the main campaign topics for Trump during his 2024 presidential run. Many Americans resorted to mail-in voting due to convenience and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Registering for mail-in voting is the same as registration for in-person: a real ID with a valid photo.
Nevertheless, Trump found a way to create a delusion about how mail-in voting is the reason he lost in 2020. In 2024, PBS fact-checked some of the president’s claims. One of Trump’s main issues with mail-in voting is that he believes it allows non-citizens to vote. However, if you simply read any laws or the U.S. Constitution, this is illegal. In fact, PBS found in the same article that 600 noncitizens were registered to vote in Ohio in August 2024, and 138 of them voted without U.S. citizenship.
It didn’t say when they voted, but there are eight million registered voters in Ohio. The math is right in front of us, but Republicans need more evidence.
In fact, the Heritage Foundation, a prominent conservative think tank, studies voter fraud every year. It found 13 people who committed voter fraud in 2025, and they all were criminally convicted. In 2024, during the presidential election, it found 43 people who committed voter fraud and were criminally charged. These numbers mean a lot to the Trump administration, but in reality, they affect nothing.
DeLysa Burnier, a political science professor at Ohio University, explained her perspective on the issue. She said this isn’t about voter fraud, but rather, it is about making voting harder.
“Ultimately, the whole thing is asking for new voters and for people who change their addresses to produce a fairly high bar of identification,” Burnier said.
She also explained her concerns about the SAVE Act.
“(The SAVE act) federalizes elections and election rules and requirements have typically been handled at the state level,” Burnier said. “The one big exception was the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and this is an attempt to federalize elections and set rules uniformly set by the federal government, not in a bipartisan, cooperative way.”
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer recently published a guest essay in The New York Times about the SAVE Act. His perspective from the Senate is vital to this issue. He explains the obstacles Americans would face if this bill were passed.
“Mail-in registration? Gone. Registering at churches and college campuses? Illegal. Registering when you get your driver’s license or sign up for Social Security? No more,” Schumer wrote. “Under the SAVE Act, the only path to register to vote would be in person at a state or local election office.”
Schumer’s words detail that every American will be affected. Since most Americans reside in rural communities and are lower income, Schumer also explains how they can be affected the most.
“They would fall on Americans who cannot spend hours navigating bureaucratic obstacles, on older people who depend on voting by mail, on those without passports, on rural communities far from election offices. In other words, millions of everyday Americans,” Schumer said.
He ends his article by stating that Democrats are continuing to fight this bill because restricting the right to vote isn’t in the foundation of American democracy.
Freely voting is one of the many rights Americans praise. Without it, our democracy wouldn’t be a democracy. Adding barriers and levels to a basic right is not just or fair; it’s control.
Contacting your Senators is the best course of action. Head to the U.S. Senate website for information about Ohio Senators Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted. The SAVE Act is still in the Senate, and taking action means this issue is worth debating. This isn’t a red vs. blue issue either; this is the continuation of dystopian reality.
Natalie Saddler is a sophomore studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Natalie about their column? Email them at ns505423@ohio.edu.
