Clinton’s Claims on GOP Voting Law

Hillary Clinton has asserted that the Republican voting legislation would create hurdles for married women trying to vote, a statement that Republican officials say has already been proven false.

In a post on Wednesday, Clinton noted, “You didn’t have to listen to Trump’s rambling speech last night to know that Republicans are trying to make it harder for millions of Americans, especially married women, to vote. They’ve already made it clear. It’s time to fight back.”

This comment came in response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address from Tuesday evening.

During his address, Trump urged Congress to endorse the Protecting American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE), which would impose stricter voting regulations, including the requirement for voters to provide photo ID and evidence of U.S. citizenship at polling places.

The president emphasized that this legislation is crucial to prevent “illegal aliens and other unauthorized people” from casting ballots.

Democrats in Congress have condemned the SAVE Act as a measure aimed at voter suppression. They argue that it could impose obstacles to voting for married women, among other issues. The bill suggests that proof of citizenship be necessary to register for federal elections and mandates states to actively remove noncitizens from voter rolls. Additionally, it would enhance data sharing with federal agencies to confirm citizenship and introduce severe penalties for noncitizen voting.

Clinton is not the only Democrat voicing concerns. Some representatives have warned that the new regulations would complicate the voting process for married women, particularly if their identification documents do not match their birth certificates.

In response, Republicans maintain that they have addressed these allegations. Representative Chip Roy (R-Texas), who has promoted both the SAVE Act and the SAVE America Act, dismissed the claims of potential voter disenfranchisement as “complete nonsense,” asserting that the provisions include safeguards to prevent confusion. He explained, “If a woman tries to register to vote using a different name on her birth certificate and driver’s license, we literally put a law in place where all you have to do is sign an affidavit under penalty of perjury saying, ‘I am who I am. This is my birth certificate, this is my driver’s license reflecting my married name.'”

The bill allows individuals to use a birth certificate as one acceptable form of ID for voting, with no explicit requirement for matching last names.

In addition to birth certificates, acceptable documentation for confirming citizenship could include a passport, a REAL ID, or military ID. A conservative legal group, the Federalist Society, has outlined that those who change their names due to marriage or other reasons “will not be prevented from voting” under the provisions of the SAVE Act.

According to the Federal Election Assistance Commission (EAC), the SAVE Act stipulates that guidelines be established for states to accept additional documentation, like a marriage license, to ensure voters are not disenfranchised if their birth certificate and current name differ. The organization argues that claims of widespread disenfranchisement as a result of the SAVE Act are misinformed, advising critics to read the bill’s actual text for clarity.