March 17, 2026
Members of the United States Senate
Re: Vote “No” on the SAVE America Act
The League of Women Voters of the United States (the League) demands a “NO” vote on S. 1383, the SAVE America Act, which would require citizenship documentation to register to vote and a photo ID to cast a ballot, despite the fact that voters in every state are already required to affirm or verify their citizenship status when registering.
The SAVE America Act will fundamentally change the way Americans register to vote and cast a ballot
There are many communities of eligible voters who would be unnecessarily burdened by the requirements of the SAVE America Act. Millions of eligible voters do not have documentation to prove their citizenship. In fact, 150 million[1] American citizens do not have a passport, one of the acceptable forms of proof of citizenship. That is more than half of the citizen voting age population of 236 million.[2] Families who have been impacted by natural disasters may have lost important documentation and would be required to jump through hoops to replace these documents, while also going through the traumatic process of rebuilding their lives. Additionally, Americans who have changed their name, like married women, would also be required to secure updated documentation to register to vote. There are an estimated 69 million[3] American women who lack paperwork that reflects their current name.
Additionally, the bill’s requirement that documentation be presented in person to an election official creates a burden for rural voters, members of tribal communities, blue-collar voters, and voters with disabilities. Traveling to election officials' offices can take hours for many voters, and once voters do arrive, they may be forced to wait in long lines to provide their documentation. This will require voters to take time off from their jobs, obtain the necessary assistance, or arrange childcare to ensure they are registered to vote. Eligible voters without documentation that matches their name will also be required to pay a fee to obtain the required documentation and then take it to their election official’s office. This multi-step process for verifying citizenship is costly and burdensome.
Congress Deliberately Rejected Proof of Citizenship Mandates When the NVRA was Passed
The League was instrumental in the drafting, passage, and implementation of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), which increased opportunities for registering to vote across the country. It is a landmark piece of legislation that has helped millions of eligible Americans register to vote when seeking a driver's license or public assistance from a designated agency.
The League opposed the inclusion of documentary proof of citizenship (DPOC) requirements in the NVRA. Committee findings from the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration in 1989 are still relevant: (1) the right of citizens in the US to vote is a fundamental right, (2) it is the duty of the federal, state, and local governments to promote the exercise of that right, and (3) discriminatory or unfair registration laws and procedures have a direct and damaging effect on voter participation in elections for federal office and disproportionately harm voter participation by various groups, including racial minorities.[4]
In 1993, Congress passed the NVRA with bipartisan support, but not before additional debate over documentary proof of citizenship. By rejecting documentary proof of citizenship, Congress determined that it would undermine the purpose of the legislation, which was to ensure that all eligible citizens had access to voter registration. US Representative John Conyers (D-MI) said that documentary proof of citizenship “would have eviscerated the mail-in registration provisions and stripped the bill of its uniform and nondiscriminatory components.”[5]
Passage of the SAVE America Act would severely weaken and threaten the ability of every eligible American to register to vote or update their registration. In addition to its advocacy work, the League has repeatedly turned to litigation to protect and enforce the provisions of the NVRA. Specifically, LWVUS and state Leagues across the country have been involved in litigation to protect voters from harmful, discriminatory laws requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote—a centerpiece of the SAVE America Act.
It is already unlawful for non-citizens to register and vote in federal or state elections
Processes to ensure our elections are secure and that only eligible voters are casting ballots are already in place. State election officials have systems to verify an individual voter’s eligibility and ensure voter rolls are accurate. The bill’s requirement of a document to prove American citizenship to register to vote in federal elections is unnecessary. Further, it creates one more barrier to the voting process, as many eligible voters do not have easy access to the necessary documents.
Voters do not need MORE obstacles in having their voices heard. Congress must act to ensure that every eligible US citizen has the freedom to vote unimpeded by discriminatory rules rooted in fear and division. On behalf of the League, I urge you to vote “No,” on the SAVE America Act. For questions, please feel free to reach out to our staff via Jessica Jones Capparell, Director of Government Affairs at jjones@lwv.org or Kristen Kern, Federal Policy and Advocacy Manager for the League of Women Voters of the US, at kkern@lwv.org.
[1]https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/about-us/reports-and-statistics.html
[2]https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/voting-and-registration/p20-587.html
[3]https://www.newsweek.com/married-women-stopped-voting-save-act-2029325
[4] US Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. (1989). Establishing National Voter Registration Procedures for Presidential and Congressional Elections, and Other Purposes (S. Rept. No. 101-140). Government Publishing Office.
[5]https://www.votebeat.org/2025/03/31/proof-of-citizenship-law-trump-executive-order-elections-nvra/