Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act
Floor Speech
Mr. Speaker, together with President Trump's recent voting- restrictive executive order, the SAVE Act would cripple American elections. It would end voter registration in the United States as we know it.
The SAVE Act would end mail-in registration. You heard that right, Mr. Speaker. All those States and all those people who register by mail--not vote by mail--registration by mail, it would end that. American citizens would have to appear in person at an election office and bring with them various documents and forms to register to vote.
Think about it, Mr. Speaker. Just to exercise your fundamental, inalienable rights as a citizen of this country, Republicans would force Americans into a paperwork nightmare, burying voter registration under a mountain of bureaucracy and red tape.
So what exactly would the SAVE Act do?
It would create enormous burdens for every American citizen who seeks to register to vote.
Let's dig into the details.
As my Republican colleague and friend admitted at the Rules Committee, under the SAVE Act, most Americans would be unable to register to vote using their REAL ID. Further, under the SAVE Act, almost 70 million American women will be unable to register to vote using their birth certificate simply because they changed their name upon marriage. The bill would disenfranchise survivors of domestic abuse who have changed their names for safety purposes, which is truly shocking.
The SAVE Act will also have a steep financial cost to American citizens because, yes, the SAVE Act does allow Americans to use their passports to register to vote, but one-half of all Americans do not have a passport, and a passport costs $130 plus additional fees. So the SAVE Act would cost American voters who do not have passports billions of dollars to secure them.
Americans are facing rising costs exacerbated by the recent Trump tariffs. Economists are warning about a looming Trump recession.
Let's face it. The SAVE Act would force U.S. citizens to spend billions of dollars to register to vote. This includes rural voters, many of whom now register to vote online or by mail, who will be forced to drive hours and cross hundreds of miles to present documentary proof. This includes senior citizens who are particularly likely to lack documentary proof of citizenship, including passports, copies of their birth certificates, or other documents.
What about the men and women in uniform who serve our country all over the world?
Can a member of our military use their military ID?
Surely military IDs should be enough to register to vote, but not according to the SAVE Act. Servicemembers will need to bring their military ID and a copy of their service record showing their place of birth within the United States. However, many servicemembers were born abroad, say to military parents overseas. Many are naturalized citizens. Those servicemembers will be blocked from using their military ID to register to vote.
Mr. Speaker, do you remember the SAVE Act's requirement that Americans show their documentation in person at an election office?
It will have drastic consequences. The SAVE Act will prevent members of our Armed Forces from registering to vote while deployed overseas.
Moreover, the SAVE Act is not actually meant to prevent noncitizens from voting. The SAVE Act is really about silencing Americans. This bill is about disenfranchising Americans, not noncitizens, but Americans, Americans like James Wilson.
James Wilson is an Arizona voter whom I met with last week. He was meant to join us in the gallery. He flew all the way to Washington, D.C., last week to watch Congress debate the SAVE Act. He was forced to fly home after the Speaker canceled 3 days of legislative work.
Mr. Wilson is an American citizen, born in Japan to a military father during the Vietnam war. Mr. Wilson is also a veteran. He proudly served our Nation overseas, including in Korea and Germany.
Like millions of Americans, Mr. Wilson does not have a passport because he does not need a passport. Like millions of Americans, Mr. Wilson does not have access to his birth certificate.
When Arizona introduced a restrictive voter registration law, a law just like the SAVE Act, Mr. Wilson's right to vote was imperiled. Mr. Wilson did not have any of the documents required by the Arizona law and required by the SAVE Act to prove his citizenship. But for a last- minute emergency court order, Mr. Wilson, an American citizen, a veteran, and a patriot, would not have been able to vote this past election.
If the SAVE Act becomes law, Americans nationwide will face the same bureaucratic nightmare that Mr. Wilson faced in Arizona. The SAVE Act will force Americans like Mr. Wilson to pay billions of dollars to exercise their inviolable right to vote.
House Republicans want to increase the burdens and amplify the costs in time, in money, and in effort for American citizens to vote. House Democrats do not.
The SAVE Act would cost American citizens something deeply important, something essential to the soul of this Nation, the right to freely and fairly participate in our elections.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge defeat of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I always appreciate the work of my colleagues from the committee. We agree on many things, but this is certainly not one of them.
I want to reflect on what the gentlewoman from Florida and others have said several times, that the SAVE Act allows States to create a process to provide additional proof of citizenship. Why not write it in the bill? Why are we making the potential for 50 different standards to be set to prove citizenship? What additional forms would be used, a birth certificate together with an ID, also including a marriage certificate, also including a record of a changed name?
What must survivors of domestic abuse provide? Must they provide court orders protecting them from stalkers, restraining orders, divorce records, divorce papers? How much would that cost? How much paperwork do Republicans want Americans to drown in?
Further, how long will these new rules take? The SAVE Act takes effect immediately. What if States take months or years to amend their systems? What if they never do it?
You might have someone interested in voting, but their State hasn't acted. They have no way of proving that the name on their birth certificate, which differs from the name on their ID, is because they got married. They would be unable to register to vote.
Here is what we do know. President Trump's executive order doesn't want any alternative forms of identification, no alternative State processes, no additional avenues for voters. Why would we expect the EAC to disregard the President's clear desire to limit documentary proof of citizenship to a small, exclusive, difficult-to-obtain list of options?
I would say in addition to my dear friend--and I mean that sincerely--the gentleman from Wisconsin, I would like to remind him that an estimated 165,000 women in his district in Wisconsin have a different name on their birth certificate than is on their current photo ID. Under the SAVE Act, these women could not register using their birth certificate alone. Roughly 340,000 residents in Wisconsin's First District lack a passport, so the SAVE Act could cost voters in the district $45 million if they chose to comply that way.
I would also like to remind my colleague and friend, Representative Lee, an estimated 170,000 women in her district have a different name on their birth certificate than on their photo ID. Likewise, under this bill, these women could not use their birth certificate to register to vote because they have a different name now than at birth. Roughly 368,000 residents of Florida's 15th District lack a passport. It would cost voters in the district at least $47.8 million to secure a passport to register to vote.
These are the facts. This is what the bill requires. We should not gloss over it because this is a mountain of bureaucratic red tape. If you can't get it right in the bill, if you don't list marriage license in the Federal bill, and it is left to the States, who knows how and when we resolve these issues.
Bonamici).
Mr. Speaker, I want to make note of the point that REAL ID in the United States does not have citizenship in almost all States. A handful have it. You couldn't even use your REAL ID.
If we are talking about voter ID and photo ID, it doesn't even allow you to vote under the SAVE Act. The gentlewoman should read the bill. It doesn't allow it, and I think that is part of the problem.
I would also note, Mr. Speaker, in Representative Miller's district, an estimated 150,000 women have a different name on their birth certificate than their current photo ID. Under the SAVE Act, these women could not use their birth certificate to register to vote and would not be able to use their ID, their driver's license. Roughly 414,000 residents of Illinois' 15th District lack a passport.
The SAVE Act would cost voters in Mrs. Miller's district $53.8 million should they avail themselves of a passport to prove the requirements of the SAVE Act.
Ross).
Mr. Speaker, I remind the gentleman that, in the United States of America, you have to be a U.S. citizen to vote in a Federal election. If you are not, you are subject to penalties for attempting to register to vote, and you are subject to felonies and deportation if you do vote and are not an American citizen. That is the current law.
I also remind my friend, the gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock), that an estimated 135,000 women in his district have a different name on their birth certificate than they have on their current photo ID, and roughly 290,000 residents of California's Fifth District lack a passport. The cost to those voters would be $37.7 million to get passports.
Williams), my dear friend.
Mr. Speaker, I hate to disagree with my dear friend, the gentlewoman from Oklahoma (Mrs. Bice), but the words ``marriage certificate'' do not appear anywhere in the SAVE Act. In fact, it could have been written in that way since Republicans are adding all these lists and requirements for people to do. Yet, it actually does make it harder for almost 70 million American women to vote.
Eighty-four percent of women choose their husband's name when they get married. That is just a statistic.
As we have discussed, under the SAVE Act, most Americans will be unable to use the standard-issued driver's license when registering to vote because most REAL IDs don't include citizenship on them. They don't automatically update if you haven't registered at all. When you go to register, there is nothing to update.
You have your birth certificate. In the case of Mary Beth Bauer, that is what it says on her certificate. Her driver's license now says ``Mary Beth Morelle.'' She would not be able to register using those two pieces of information. She would have to get an additional piece of documentation to register, which is not identified in the SAVE Act.
Mr. Speaker, I think we have talked about it at length. This is clearly intended to make it much more difficult. According to House Republicans, none of these women should be allowed to register to vote. They are roughly 25 percent of the U.S. citizen voting age population.
I also suggest to my friend from Oklahoma (Mrs. Bice) that an estimated 179,000 women in her district have a different name on their birth certificate than a current photo ID, and roughly 394,000 residents of Oklahoma's Fifth District lack a passport. The SAVE Act would cost them $51.3 million to secure passports.
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Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining.
Mr. Speaker, I note that while the previous speaker, Ms. Boebert, has not had to bring all of those documents, she hasn't had to register to vote under the SAVE Act. That is actually the point.
Mr. Speaker, I also remind her that an estimated 159,000 women in her district have a different name on their birth certificate than they have on their current photo ID and that roughly 284,000 residents of Colorado's Fourth District lack a passport. The SAVE Act could cost them $36.9 million to secure passports in order to register to vote.
Mr. Speaker, I think my colleagues doth protest too much. I have read the bill many times. I have debated the bill. There is nothing in the bill that allows you to bring a marriage license to prove who you are when you register to vote. You will have to do all the things we suggest you will have to do, and that is exactly the problem.
I will also remind my colleague and friend from Florida that in Mrs. Cammack's district, an estimated 170,000 women in her congressional district have a different name on their birth certificate than on their current photo ID and that roughly 409,000 residents of Florida's Third Congressional District lack a passport. The cost to those individuals: $53.1 million to secure passports.
Sewell), my dear friend and distinguished member of our committee and the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Elections of House Administration.
Mr. Speaker, the gentleman's comments lead me to the question: Do Republicans believe that every attestation under Federal law is rife for subversion? Americans must attest under penalty of perjury that their tax returns contain correct information. Do Republicans want to end this honor system by requiring Americans to provide even more documentation to the Internal Revenue Service?
It is a Federal crime to lie on alcohol, tobacco, and firearms Form 4473, the firearms transaction record. That form is filled out under the same honor system that governs voter registrations. Are you telling me that Republicans are open to strengthening gun licensing laws in the United States and no longer accept attestation?
Each of us must submit records to the FEC, attesting under penalty of perjury that our campaign committee reports are accurate. Do Republicans now want to provide the American people greater transparency around political spending because if they do, I have a bill they can support, the Freedom to Vote Act.
I will also suggest to the gentleman, Representative Bean, that an estimated 170,000 women in his district have a different last name on their birth certificate than is on their current photo ID and roughly 397,000 residents of Florida's Fourth District do not have a passport. It would cost them $51.7 million to secure one.
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Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining.
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Mr. MORELLE. Friedman).
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Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I was remiss earlier. I want to remind my colleague, Mr. Roy, that an estimated 150,000 women in his district have a different name on their birth certificate than on their photo ID, and 336,000 residents of Texas' 2lst District lack a passport, a cost of $43.7 million to those who would need to get a passport should they choose that.
Also, I would like to remind my colleague, Representative Kiley, an estimated 135,000 women in his district have a different name, and roughly 268,000 residents of California's Third District do not have a passport. The cost to them for getting one is $34.8 million.
Johnson), my friend.
The SAVE Act is, to put it nicely, the most severe voter suppression bill ever considered at the Federal level.
Coupled with President Trump's recent antivoter executive order, the SAVE Act would end the voter registration process for all Americans as they know it.
Republicans have repeatedly failed to present any evidence that noncitizen voting at the Federal level has ever affected the outcome of any election.
The SAVE Act will make it harder for American citizens to vote--for married women to vote, for servicemembers, students, rural Americans, senior citizens, Native voters, survivors of natural disasters, and survivors of domestic abuse to vote. It will make voting more expensive, in fact forcing American families to pay billions of dollars just to register to vote.
Democrats want a country where every American citizen can vote. That is why we champion bills like the Freedom to Vote Act, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and the Native American Voting Rights Act, not the SAVE Act.
I fiercely oppose this anti-American bill. I urge every one of my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats alike, to defeat this extremist, antivoter SAVE Act.
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