“Instead of lowering costs as he promised, Donald Trump and his MAGA flank are focused on gutting our democracy,” said NAACP President Derrick Johnson.
On a mostly party-line basis, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives advanced the SAVE Act, a bill that would establish new restrictions to voting. After years of court orders that have weakened the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and a slew of contested state laws and voting maps, Black leaders say the latest legislation only stands to make voting harder.
“.. let’s be real, it’s a straight-up voter suppression bill,” wrote Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, on X just before the House approved the SAVE Act with a 220-208 vote, with four Democrats joining Republicans. “They are literally trying to make it harder for millions of Americans to exercise their right to vote. I’m voting NO—hell no, actually.”
If passed by the Republican-majority Senate and signed into law by President Donald Trump, the SAVE Act would require in-person proof of U.S. citizenship through documentation when registering to vote, even though Democrats and voting rights advocates point out that federal law already prohibits non-citizens from voting in federal elections.
The bill includes other measures like nearly eliminating mailed voter registration, requiring states to remove non-citizens from official lists of eligible voters, and nearly eliminates automatic voter registration, as is done at Departments of Motor Vehicles across the country. The SAVE Act also establishes criminal offenses for individuals and election officials who register someone who hasn’t provided documented proof of citizenship.
An analysis of the bill published by the Center for American Progress points out that the SAVE Act would require most voters to produce a passport or birth certificate to prove their citizenship. This would present challenges for women who are married with different surnames than they had at birth, and those from specific socioeconomic backgrounds who cannot afford or have access to securing a U.S. passport.
Black leaders quickly condemned the advancement of the SAVE Act. NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement, “Instead of lowering costs as he promised, Donald Trump and his MAGA flank are focused on gutting our democracy.”
He continued, “Voting is the foundation of our democracy. Our families and communities thrive when every voter — regardless of race, income, or zip code — has the freedom to participate in elections and have a say in the decisions that shape their lives.”
Johnson said the SAVE Act is “nothing more than voter suppression disguised as voter protection,” adding, “The burdensome requirements disproportionately target voters in historically marginalized communities, amplify systemic inequalities, and aim to silence millions.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said that, in addition to married women, the SAVE Act would affect disabled Americans who cannot physically get to an office to register to vote.
“This is not about creating election integrity. It is about disenfranchisement and choosing who can vote and who cannot, and it is really important that we create access for every citizen in this country to have the ability to cast their ballot,” she said in an online video.
Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said in a statement, “This bill does nothing to protect our elections; instead, it erects discriminatory barriers that will disenfranchise millions — especially voters of color, young people, women, low-income families, and rural voters.”
Wiley continued, “Our democracy demands that every voter’s voice is heard, and our Constitution ensures that right. We stand resolutely against this brazen attack on our freedom to vote and will fiercely oppose anti-voter legislation and any broader anti-democratic attacks.”
Beth Lynk, executive director of the Michelle Obama-founded When We All Vote, noted that 90 million Americans did not vote in the 2024 election, signaling that lawmakers should make voting “easier, not harder.”
Lynk said the heart of When We All Vote’s work is doing the very thing that the SAVE Act seeks to eliminate: helping Americans register to vote online.
“Last year, When We All Vote helped more than 300,000 Americans register or check their voter registration,” she shared. “Registering voters online and in person is at the core of When We All Vote’s work increasing participation in every election and closing the race and age voting gaps.”
Rep. Terri Sewell, who represents Selma, Ala., where advocacy in the 1960s helped lead to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, admonished Republicans for advancing the SAVE Act while on the House floor on Thursday.
“This bill is not about protecting our elections. It’s about making it harder for Americans to vote and easier for Republicans to win. The SAVE act is just the latest in the ongoing assault on our democracy by President Trump and his allies in Congress,” said Sewell. “Instead of working to meet the needs of the American people, House Republicans are busy spreading fear and lies to justify their attempts to disenfranchise millions of eligible voters.”
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