Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Critiques SAVE Act
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) expressed concern that the SAVE Act might prevent individuals with Hispanic surnames from being able to register to vote.
While speaking at the Aspen Ideas Festival, she highlighted a provision in the act that mandates states to submit their voter rolls to the federal government for scrutiny. Gillibrand questioned the criteria the government uses to establish voting eligibility, suggesting that people with Hispanic surnames could face unfair scrutiny.
“Will they decide that if your surname is Latino, like Diaz or Alvarez, you can’t vote because your citizenship status is in question?” Gillibrand posited. “This is their way of disenfranchising individuals. The damage they inflict by limiting access to the ballot is immeasurable.”
However, it is important to note that the SAVE Act does not contain any stipulation requiring election officials to factor in a person’s last name or ethnic background when assessing voter eligibility.
Furthermore, Gillibrand argued that the SAVE Act would necessitate Americans to present a passport to register. She suggested that a driver’s license or REAL ID would not meet the standards set by the act.
“Don’t be misled; the SAVE Act isn’t just about having an ID. The ID we carry today isn’t sufficient. You will need a passport,” she remarked. “I believe that if registration were required today, only about half of Americans would possess a passport.”
Gillibrand also claimed that the SAVE Act would potentially disenfranchise married women and military personnel due to challenging documentation requirements.
“If there’s a mismatch between your passport and your birth certificate after marriage, you won’t be able to register. You would need to update your birth certificate. This could disenfranchise many women. Additionally, military ID won’t suffice,” Gillibrand noted. “Veterans and service members stationed globally would find it difficult to register. It seems deliberately designed to hinder voter access, leading to reduced voter turnout.”
In reality, the SAVE Act does not mandate all voters to present a passport. The bill specifies various forms of documentation to verify U.S. citizenship, such as eligible REAL IDs, certain government-issued IDs coupled with supporting documents, birth certificates, naturalization certificates, consular birth reports, and particular military records.
While Gillibrand maintained that military identification “does not count,” the SAVE Act does include provisions that require applicants to present a valid U.S. military ID when verifying military history indicating they were born in the United States.
