Conservative firebrand flips script on House Dem’s ‘gotcha’ response to noncitizen voting crackdown

Some Democrats expressed opposition to the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act on the House floor Thursday after only four of them voted in support of the legislation.

The SAVE Act would require proof of citizenship to register to vote as opposed to simply affirming that the voter is a United States citizen on a form. 

The list of eligible documents includes a passport, a government-issued photo ID, a birth certificate and other forms of identification. Only one of them would be needed. Opponents have argued the bill would make it more difficult for women who no longer use their maiden name to vote, whereas proponents say it’s a myth.

Rep. Laura Friedman, D-Calif., said it is a “modern-day poll tax, targeting American women and low-income Americans.” 

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During the floor debate, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., dismissed that argument.

“Bless my colleagues’ hearts on the other side of the aisle, using women as a ‘gotcha’ for voting. I’ve never had to bring my birth certificate to prove that I was a registered voter. I have an ID that has a different name than my birth certificate,” the Republican said.

“Since we’re using women as bait here, maybe in the next round of debates they can explain to us exactly what a woman is.” 

Other Democrats said it posed serious voter suppression questions. 

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“This bill could force Georgians to pay more than $700 million just to register to vote. Y’all, that’s a poll tax, plain and simple, and it’s blatant voter suppression,” Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Ga, said on the floor. “Voter suppression by any other name is still voter suppression. This bill violates the 14th, 19th and 24th amendments and … every tenant of a free and inclusive democracy. I urge my colleagues to vote no on this disgrace of a voter suppression bill.”

Still, proponents believe it would help further secure elections from any noncitizens voting in elections. But opponents argue it’s an unnecessary step given the uncommon nature of noncitizens voting and the additional paperwork burden.  

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Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., posted that it’s a “myth” that “married women’s right to vote” would be restricted.

“The SAVE Act directs states to establish a process for discrepancies, such as a name change, so that individuals can still register to vote,” Edwards tweeted. “This bill lists forms of identification that a voter could provide when registering to vote, but that voter only needs to provide one document, including a driver’s license or any valid government-issued ID card.”

People who are not American citizens are already not legally permitted to register to vote, which essentially makes the legislation an additional safeguard, according to those in favor of it. 

“It is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. This could impact almost 150 million Americans,” Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., said in a video Thursday, adding it might be tough for people to get the proper identification like a birth certificate or a passport to prove citizenship. “So the SAVE Act is not solving a problem. It’s creating one.”

President Donald Trump supports the bill, and he recently issued an executive order for similar election reforms. The bill made it through the House last year with Republicans and a few Democrats supporting it, but it did not make it through the Senate and could face similar hurdles this time.

All Republicans who were present for the vote supported the act, along with Democratic representatives Ed Case, Jared Golden, Henry Cuellar and Marie Gluesenkamp-Perez. The bill is led by two Republicans, Texas Rep. Chip Roy and Utah Sen. Mike Lee.