U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, outlined on Mar. 20 several challenges Americans would face when registering to vote under the Republicans’ SAVE America Act. The legislation would require proof of citizenship for voter registration, making driver’s licenses and other government-issued IDs insufficient.
The issue is significant because it could affect millions of eligible voters who may not have immediate access to documents like passports or birth certificates. According to a nonpartisan study by the Brennan Center and the University of Maryland, more than 21 million eligible American voters—about one in ten voting-age citizens—do not have documents readily available to prove their citizenship.
Durbin said, “What this proposal [the SAVE America Act] would do is [create] a dramatic change in registering to vote in America. Let me be specific. With this proposal, the proof that you have to present of your identity when you register to vote changes dramatically. When you look at the second page of [the bill], they start listing what you have to bring in to prove that you are eligible to vote. The first suggestion is a passport. Well, half of the people in America, roughly half, own a passport and half do not… Creating this as a standard [showing a passport to vote] in the election in November… can you imagine what’s going to happen at the passport office?”
He continued by addressing issues with birth certificates: “The second opportunity you have to prove you’re really an American is to present your birth certificate. [There’s a] problem. [It] turns out a substantial number of Americans don't have a birth certificate, and they have to obtain one [under the SAVE America Act]. And secondly, there’s a problem with a birth certificate if it reflects a maiden name of a woman before she was married. There has to be a change made there.”
Durbin also referenced Supreme Court precedent regarding voting requirements: “In Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections, the Supreme Court declared that any poll tax was unconstitutional... You know how much the poll tax was in Virginia when that case was decided? One dollar and fifty cents. Compare that to going out to have a passport issued to you and paying $165.”
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Based in Washington, D.C., the committee influences federal law and judicial matters nationwide according to its official website. As one of the standing committees of the U.S. Senate, it holds authority over judicial and legal matters according to its official website.
Looking ahead, debate over voter registration requirements continues as lawmakers consider how best to balance election security with access for all eligible citizens.
