SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR) \u2014 President Donald Trump has been pushing Congress to pass the SAVE Act, also known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility bill, sparking debates from both sides of the political aisle.<\/p>\n
If the bill passes, strict, new proof-of-citizenship requirements would be imposed on American citizens, changing how New York state citizens have been registering to vote for a long time.<\/p>\n
Dustin Czarny, a Democratic elections commissioner of Onondaga County, said the bill would upend voting procedures in the state, from registration to mail-in ballots to how people actually vote.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur driver\u2019s licenses in New York would not be valid proof of citizenship because they do not attest to citizenship on the face of the driver\u2019s license itself, so they would either have to provide a passport or a birth certificate,\u201d Czarny said.<\/p>\n
The bill would require voters to show proof of citizenship when registering and create new photo identification requirements at the polls.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only proof of citizenship we have in New York right now is a box where one checks to certify they are a citizen,\u201d Kevin Ryan, the Republican elections commissioner of Onondaga County, said. \u201cThat is the only safeguard we have to ensure that non-citizens don\u2019t vote, and frankly, in my mind, that\u2019s not enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Left-leaning opponents of the bill have raised concerns, especially for women who choose to change their last names once they get married.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose birth certificates may or may not be qualified,\u201d Czarny said. \u201cIn fact, many advocates have said, reading the law, that they don\u2019t believe they\u2019d be qualified. I\u2019m sure this will be adjudicated in courts, but then that leaves a passport, and I can tell you, most people do not have a passport.\u201d<\/p>\n
But not everyone agrees. Ryan said the enactment of the bill would not disenfranchise voters in the slightest.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen people get married, they update their social security number, they update their driver\u2019s license, they update their passport, all manner of documents,\u201d Ryan said. \u201cI mean, the notion that once someone gets married, they can\u2019t prove citizenship\u2026well\u2026how do they work in this county?\u201d<\/p>\n
For now, the same system remains in place. If the bill passes in the future, counties across the state would likely readjust their voting systems to meet federal requirements.<\/p>\n
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