Doug Chayka

The SAVE Act, one of Trump’s executive proposals, has the potential to restrict the right to vote for millions of eligible American citizens. 

Trump has given public support to a potential executive policy known as The SAVE Act. This policy requires all citizens to produce an identifying document every time they register to vote. These documents most commonly include passports and birth certificates. To gain the right to vote, the individual’s current legal name must match the name on the supplemental document.

According to the Brennan Center for Justice, millions of Americans will lose the ability to vote under this new policy. Micheal Waldan, a staff writer, expands on the threat this policy poses. 

“More than 21 million eligible voters just don’t have these documents readily available. Most Americans simply don’t have a passport. (How do they summer in France without it?)”

Waldan continues, “Millions have a birth certificate but don’t know where it is or have easy access to it. (In a box in my mother’s closet? I know I saw it somewhere.)” 

To Waldan’s point, most people do not have access to the documentation this policy requires. Even if they do, many American citizen’s current names do not match these forms of documentation. This policy disproportionately affects certain groups, since some are less likely to have these documents. This includes young voters and voters of color. 

Another problem Americans face is a discrepancy between the name on the document and their current legal name. One of the largest groups affected by this is married women who took the last name of their spouse. Technically, under this policy, they will not be allowed to register to vote. 

This policy is going to be presented to the House of Representatives very shortly. The potential implications of this policy have led individuals to feeling a wide range of emotions. Regardless of the way you’re feeling, Waldan leaves Americans with an important message. 

“Citizens don’t pay that much attention to politics — but when a sacred right is taken away, they notice, and they get mad. As ever, the right to vote demands a fight to vote.”