In February, Blavity reported that the bill could make it difficult for voters to cast their ballots due to documentation that some do not have access to, which includes passports, birth certificates or updated voter registration. Republican lawmakers introduced the legislation to crack down on voter fraud, an illegal action that President Donald Trump has accused Democrats of during and after the 2020 Presidential election.

How does the SAVE Act affect married women?

Certain groups, including married women, could be affected by the SAVE Act and how it changes how Americans register to vote. More than 69 million married women may face difficulty in this process because they do not have a last name matching their birth certificates.

Married women can use other alternatives like passports, but 140 Americans do not have those or the money to pay for one, Newsweek and Blavity reported. Some lawmakers are pushing back on the bill, including Democratic Congressman Maxine Dexter. She presented an amendment to pause the SAVE Act, stating they needed to confirm that it would not prevent married women from voting. However, Republicans blocked the amendment.

The SAVE Act would end online and mail voter registration

According to the Center for American Progress, many Americans relied on online and mail voter registration to vote in elections. The SAVE Act would eliminate these options, making it harder for those who need or prefer it.

The SAVE Act would also eliminate driver’s licenses (including Real IDs), military IDs, and tribal IDs as proof of identification and citizenship status to vote. Instead, a state-issued Enhanced Driver’s License will be one of the requirements for Americans, as Republicans also want to use it for immigrants crossing the border in vehicles, per the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Campaign Legal Center.

In addition to married women, groups such as Black Americans, other people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those in rural areas could also face threats to their voting rights under the SAVE Act.

What are lawmakers on both sides are saying?

Several Republican and Democrat lawmakers have shared their thoughts on the SAVE Act and the concerns surrounding married women and other Americans.

“Just to exercise their inalienable right as citizens of this country, Republicans would force Americans into a paperwork nightmare,” Rep. Joe Morelle, D-NY said, according to The Associated Press. “This bill is really about disenfranchising Americans — not noncitizens, Americans.”

“This legislation would immediately disenfranchise the 69 million women who have changed their names after marriage or divorce,” said Rep. Deborah Ross, D-NC.

Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Fla., challenged those claims, stating that the SAVE Act “contemplates this exact situation” of the married women whose names have changed, saying it, “explicitly directs states to establish a process for them to register to vote.”