Joseph Zambon
The SAVE Act Makes America Safe for Republican Candidates
Strap in, folks – if you thought American elections were already a chaotic dumpster fire, wait till you see the GOP’s latest offering.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) and his pals have introduced the SAVE Act (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act), a shiny new bill that’s less about “saving” democracy and more about suffocating your ability to vote under a pile of paperwork.
Of course, it’s all about “election security,” which really means “let’s make voting way harder, especially for people who might vote against us.”
The SAVE Act would require voters to dig through their closets and attics for documents like birth certificates, marriage licenses, or passports – just to register or re-register.
If the Name On Your Birth Certificate is Different From Your Current Name, Like Millions of Married Women
Got your name on your birth certificate, but changed it since? Opponents of the bill are raising red flags, claiming this will disenfranchise millions of married women—and others—whose birth certificate names don’t match their current legal names. So, if you’re in that boat, better hope you’ve got a marriage certificate or legal name-change document lying around to prove who you really are.
Moving Also Bad
And if you’ve moved recently? Well, guess what – you might be out of luck because the GOP wants to make sure only those with perfect paperwork can vote.
Let’s break down why this is such a dumpster fire:
- 21 million Americans don’t have easy access to these documents, and many of them vote!
- 7% of both Republicans and Democrats who voted in 2020 don’t have easy access to these documents.
- Twelve million people who voted in 2020 couldn’t re-register if they moved or updated their info. And just in case you missed it, people move ALL THE TIME – 12% of Americans relocate every year. That’s millions who could lose their voting rights by 2028.
No More Mail-In or Online Voter Registration
Not only does the SAVE Act require you to dig up all your dusty docs, but it also destroys the most convenient ways of registering to vote. That means mail-in, online, and voter drive registrations end. That is all bad unless you’re good with showing up in person with your stack of papers at a government office.
Let’s put this into perspective:
- In the two years before the 2020 election, more than 91 million Americans either registered for the first time or updated their registration. In the two years leading to the 2022 midterms, that number was 70 million. That’s a lot of people who rely on these easy, accessible methods.
- Over 37 million people used mail, online, or voter drives in the 2020 cycle alone. Another 17 million did so before the 2022 elections.
- Just 7.7 million people registered in person before the 2020 election, and that number dropped to just 4 million by 2022. The GOP has really worked their magic to make voting more of a nightmare than it already is.
To be clear: If you’re one of those 37 million people who registered via these convenient methods, congratulations, you’re now screwed. No more online or mail-in registrations, just a long line at the DMV – or wherever you’re supposed to show up to prove your citizenship.
Welcome to Voter Suppression, 2024-Style.
What’s worse? This isn’t about “election security.” There’s zero evidence of widespread voter fraud. The SAVE Act has zero Democratic co-sponsors because, surprise! It’s an obvious, partisan, voter-suppression tactic disguised as “election integrity.”
Langworthy and Tenney Advocate for Voter Suppression
And guess who’s leading the charge? None other than Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY24) and Rep. Nicholas Langworthy (R-NY23) – the dynamic duo of disenfranchisement.
Tenney, who’s co-chair of the House Election Integrity Caucus (a group that should probably just be called “The Big Lie Club”), is pushing for voter ID laws that are a solution in search of a non-existent problem.
Langworthy, who can’t be bothered to meet his constituents in person (he prefers phone meetings—so brave), admitted during his re-election campaign that he isn’t familiar with Project 2025 – the only person in the U.S. – packed with voter suppression tactics.
Bottom Line
The SAVE Act is a modern-day version of the Jim Crow laws – poll taxes and literacy tests. Republicans like Tenney and Langworthy know that this will disproportionately impact voters who are more likely to vote for anyone but them. It’s not about security—it’s about control.
So, if you don’t want your voting rights stripped away, here’s the new rulebook:
- Don’t move.
- Don’t change your name.
- Don’t take your husband’s name if you marry.
- Don’t register online or by mail only in person.
And for people who did any of the above, you should get your birth certificate and your marriage license NOW. Photocopies may not be good enough. The Republicans may require originals to make it even more difficult to register to vote.
When the Republicans force this unjust law on the American public, they will likely time it just before the next election so that there’s not enough time for most people to comply. They won’t be able to vote.