15 hours Ago By Holly Oppelt Co-President, League of Women Voters of Iowa
The House of Representatives recently passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE Act, stating that elections need to be protected from non-citizen voting. The basic argument in the SAVE Act is that non-citizens are corrupting election outcomes. Numerous credible studies and election audits have evidence that non-citizens voting in elections is a very low percentage.
In contrast with the low percentage of those not eligible to vote, the SAVE Act will have a significant impact on U.S. citizens.
In an NPR interview, Michel Martin spoke with Sean Morales-Doyle, director of the Voting Rights and Elections Program at the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice. As with other non-partisan organizations, including the League of Women Voters, the Brennan Center opposed this legislation on the grounds that it would disenfranchise perhaps as many as 21.3 million Americans.
Why? Because many citizens do not have the official papers proving citizenship which the SAVE Act now requires to register to vote or to change voter registration. Birth certificates are the gold standard for proving you are a natural born U.S.
citizen. Do you know where your birth certificate is? Does it meet the following legal requirements? A U.S.
birth certificate issued by the city, county, or state of birth lists applicant’s full name, date of birth, and place of birth, the parent(s)’ full names, has the signature of the city, county, or state registrar with the date filed with registrar's office (must be within one year of birth) and has the seal or stamp of the city, county, or state which issued it. If what you think is your birth certificate, and it does not meet these requirements, it is not acceptable documentation to register to vote. Official birth certificates are available in the county courthouse in which you were born, and in some cases, on file in the state capitol’s courthouse.
A passport is considered evidence of citizenship, because you must provide a certified birth certificate to receive one. In addition to providing a copy of your birth certificate, you need to pay an execution fee of $30 and an application fee which ranges from $30 for a passport card or $130 for a passport book. Don’t forget to include a closeup photo of your face taken against a neutral background, with a white background preferred.
When sending your documentation for a passport, you need to plan. It may take two weeks for your application and documentation to be received, then four to six weeks to be processed, and another two weeks for the passport to arrive in your mailbox. Not everyone has a certified birth certificate or can afford a passport just to register to vote.
People change their names. Where someone was born may be several states away. Perhaps their county courthouse is not easily reached.
The League of Women Voters conduct voter registration events in communities with low voter turnout to encourage citizens to participate in our democracy. With the SAVE Act, LWV and organizations like ours will be unable to reach out and register eligible citizens. It’s already illegal for non-citizens to vote.
The SAVE Act is not a voter ID law. Our government is now requiring citizens to have papers to prove who they are. And if you don’t have the proper paperwork, you don’t get to participate in electing those who govern us.
If you believe the SAVE Act creates an unnecessary burden to exercise our right to be engaged in the democratic process of voting, please contact Senator Ernst and Senator Grassley to share your viewpoint before the U.S. Senate votes on this measure.
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