ORLANDO, Fla. — Some voter advocates in Central Florida said they believe the SAVE America Act, also known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, under consideration by Congress could disproportionately affect some people who don’t have access to a passport or other documents proving their citizenship.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the legislation, which would require voters to bring photo ID and proof of citizenship such as passports, an original birth certificate or naturalization papers in order to vote. The SAVE America Act is currently pending U.S. Senate approval.

What You Need To Know

It is currently illegal for non-U.S. citizens to vote in federal elections 

The U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the SAVE America Act, also known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, which would require voters to bring proof of citizenship to vote 

The SAVE Act is currently pending U.S. Senate approval

Some voter advocates said they believe the SAVE America Act could disproportionately affect some people who don’t have access to a passport or other documents proving their citizenship

“You know, in our very core, the mission of the League is to empower voters, and what the SAVE Act would do is actually add another barrier to voting,” said Jane Hursh, the co-president of the League of Women Voters.

Her group aims to educate Floridians about upcoming elections.

“The SAVE Act, quite simply, is trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist,” Hursh said. “What it would require of already registered voters would be additional documents to prove what they’ve already proven by having registered to vote previously.”

During a Feb. 12 press conference, President Donald Trump addressed the act.

“We’re trying to save America, and it has to do with largely voting and basically, it’s got three very simple points,” Trump said.

Federal officials and sponsors of the act said the focus is ensuring only U.S. citizens can register to vote in elections.

The law currently states that it is illegal for non-U.S. citizens to vote in U.S. elections.

The Center for Election Innovation and Research published in July that claims of alleged noncitizen voting were arising “from misunderstandings, mischaracterizations or fabrications” about voter data. The nonprofit states that its mission “is to work with election officials and build confidence in elections that voters should trust and do trust.”

“We already require appropriate documentation when someone goes to register to vote,” Hursh said. “That has never been a problem. It’s not ever been an issue. To require currently registered voters to have to show up with original documentation is, quite frankly, elitist.”

A study last year by the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law found that 9% of U.S. citizens don’t have proof of citizenship documents readily available, many because of lack of access or finances to purchase a passport. That data is also reflected in the Bipartisan Policy Center’s statistics.

That equates to 21.3 million people who don’t have citizenship documents readily available, according to the Brennan Center, and 3.8 million people who don’t have any documents because they were lost, stolen or destroyed. Those individuals would need to work to regain access to documents before midterms later this year.

Hurst said she believes the SAVE America Act, if signed into law, will directly affect specific populations of voters.

“Rural voters, voters in communities that have been historically neglected, and the 70 million women who have gotten married and chosen to take their husband’s name, now have to get all of the original documentation,” she said.

Sarah Parker, the executive director of Voices of Florida, said that organization is working to educate community members about potential effects of the act.

“No one is saying that we don’t believe that you don’t have to have an ID to vote, but we are saying is that there are a lot of people that are disproportionately financially impacted, specifically with the economy the way that it is, and that may not have the opportunity to go vote,” Parker said.

Parker said the nonprofit organization is educating people and informing them to reach out to their representatives if they have concerns about the SAVE Act.

“So, one of the things, again, I want to go back to education. What we don’t do is … spread hysteria and being, like, ‘You need to go do this this and this right now’,” Parker said. “Right now, we are focused on educating people on how this will impact them and then creating a plan around that. I know tons of people that can’t afford to go get even another ID sometimes.”

For many people, paying for a passport will not be accessible for them, Parker said.

“I remember, you know, getting jobs and having to call someone to borrow money to get an ID,” Parker said. “So again, you know, until the SAVE Act passes, we’re just going to do education.”