Proposed SAVE America Act Jeopardizes Many Women’s Voting Rights

By Dorian Martin, I Start Wondering Founder

The right to vote for many U.S. women is in jeopardy if the current version of the Safeguard American Voting Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, is passed. The legislation, which was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, Feb. 11, now will be considered by the U.S. Senate. If approved there, it will be sent to President Donald Trump for signature.

The proposal (which you can read in its entirety here) was authored in an attempt to ensure that only U.S. citizens can register to vote. To qualify to vote, each citizen would have to provide documentary proof of citizenship at the time of registration, such as a birth certificate, a U.S. passport, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, a Certificate of Citizenship, or a Naturalization Certification.

However, the way this bill is currently written is problematic since most married women have taken their husband’s last name; as a result, their current name will not match the name on their birth certificate. 

This issue will affect a significant percentage of American women.  According to Pew Research, approximately eight in 10 women in opposite sex marriages said they took their husband’s last name. Older women’s voting rights are most at risk since 85% of women who are 50 and older took their husband’s name. However, a significant portion of younger women also will face this situation since 73% of women between the ages of 18-49 adopted their husband’s last name. 

Access to proper documentation also is an issue. The Bipartisan Policy Organization points out that while at least one of the documents, in theory, are available to most citizens, not all voters have them readily available. According to recent studies:

• 9% of all eligible voters do not have, or do not have easy access to, documentary proof of citizenship.

• 52% of registered voters do not have an unexpired passport with their current legal name.

• 11% of registered voters do not have access to their birth certificate.
  

The Bipartisan Policy Organization, as well as other many organizations, note that passage of the act as currently written will lead to additional hurdles to voting: “For instance, someone who has changed their name through marriage or court order may need to present a third document (such as a marriage certificate) to join their proof of citizenship (e.g., birth certificate) with their proof of identity (e.g., driver’s license), further decreasing the likelihood that a voter will have the appropriate documentation on hand to successfully register.”

I Start Wondering’s team realizes and respects the complexity that women – especially those who have reached midlife and the years beyond – bring to the table. We understand that our readers have a variety of political opinions and vote in different ways. 

We believe that elections are an important time for our readers to embrace their personal sovereignty in making crucial decisions that will help guide our nation through a difficult time in its history. To do so, we invite our readers to do their homework and listen more deeply to their own inner wisdom to align their choices with their personal values and vision for the country instead of relying exclusively on their partner, family members, friends, political party, or other external sources to guide their election decisions.

Taking history into consideration is important at this moment. Women only gained the right to vote with the passage of the 19^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920 after a hard-fought battle. The SAVE Act, as currently written, will prevent many women who are U.S. citizens from being able to exercise this constitutional right.

Therefore, we strongly encourage you to take two action steps in the next month:

•  Contact your U.S. Senators to voice your concern about the SAFE Act, as currently written. 

• Use your voice in the upcoming midterm elections through exercising your constitutional right to vote. And before stepping into the voting booth, be sure to do your own due diligence in researching each candidate on your area’s ballot. 
  

Let’s all commit to making informed choices in this election as well as in the future.