WASHINGTON, DC - Last night, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), senior member of the Judiciary Committee, voted against the so-called "SAVE America Act", a Republican bill that advances President Trump's call to "nationalize elections". The SAVE America Act would impose new documentary proof-of-citizenship requirements on voters and make it harder for 21 million Americans to vote, especially impacting seniors, students, lower-income Americans, and others without ready access to citizenship documentation.

"The SAVE Act isn't about election security-it's about voter suppression," said Congressman Cohen. "Noncitizen voting is already illegal and vanishingly rare, but this bill would impose new barriers for eligible Americans, like married women whose documents don't match, seniors, students, and working people who don't have a passport or a birth certificate sitting in a drawer. And most Americans won't be able to use a driver's license to clear these hurdles, because even REAL ID doesn't prove citizenship. The SAVE Act forces people to hunt down paperwork, take time off work, and pay unexpected costs just to exercise their constitutional right-and Republicans know exactly who that hurts."

"If this was truly about protecting the right to vote," Congressman Cohen added, "Republicans would join us in advancing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to ensure all Americans can cast their ballot securely, safely, and without fear or intimidation."

The SAVE America Act would require Americans to present documentary proof of citizenship-such as a passport or birth certificate-in order to register to vote in federal elections. It would also require government-issued photo identification to vote in-person and copies of photo ID when requesting and submitting absentee ballots. The bill adds criminal penalties for election officials who register voters who fail to provide documentary proof of citizenship-even if that person is in fact a U.S. citizen.

According to nonpartisan research, more than 21 million Americans (over 9% of voting age citizens) do not have ready access to proof of citizenship documents, and approximately 140 million Americans do not possess a valid passport.

Under the SAVE America Act, a standard driver's license would generally not be sufficient to register to vote. Even state-issued licenses that meet REAL ID standards do not indicate U.S. citizenship and are available to both citizens and lawfully present noncitizens. In practice, the only driver's license that may serve as documentary proof of citizenship is an Enhanced Driver's License-which is available in just five states.

The House passed the SAVE America Act by vote of 218-213, with only one Democrat joining Republicans in favor of the bill. The bill now faces an uncertain path in the Senate.

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