ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014\u00a0Some 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\u2019t have access to a passport or other documents proving their citizenship.<\/p>\n
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<\/a> is currently pending U.S. Senate approval.<\/p>\n What You Need To Know<\/p>\n It is currently illegal for non-U.S. citizens to vote in federal elections\u00a0 \u201cYou 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,\u201d said Jane Hursh, the co-president of the League of Women Voters.<\/p>\n Her group aims to educate Floridians about upcoming elections.<\/p>\n \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n During a Feb. 12 press conference, President Donald Trump addressed the act.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re trying to save America, and it has to do with largely voting and basically, it\u2019s got three very simple points,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n Federal officials and sponsors of the act said the focus is ensuring only U.S. citizens can register to vote in elections.<\/p>\n The law currently states that it is illegal for non-U.S. citizens to vote in U.S. elections.<\/p>\n The Center for Election Innovation and Research published in July that claims of alleged noncitizen voting were arising \u201cfrom misunderstandings, mischaracterizations or fabrications<\/a>\u201d 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.”<\/p>\n \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n A study last year by the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law found that 9% of U.S. citizens don\u2019t have proof of citizenship documents readily available<\/a>, many because of lack of access or finances to purchase a passport. That data is also reflected in the Bipartisan Policy Center\u2019s statistics.<\/p>\n
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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\u00a0
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The SAVE Act is currently pending U.S. Senate approval
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Some voter advocates said they believe the SAVE America Act could disproportionately affect some people who don\u2019t have access to a passport or other documents proving their citizenship<\/p>\n