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The SAVE America Act should be defeated because it would make it harder for eligible Americans to vote while addressing a problem that evidence suggests is exceedingly rare. Election integrity is essential to democracy, but protecting elections should not come at the expense of eligible citizens’ access to the ballot.
The bill would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. While that may sound straightforward, millions of Americans lack immediate access to documents such as passports or certified birth certificates. Replacing lost records can be costly and time-consuming, creating unnecessary barriers for citizens who are legally entitled to vote.
These requirements could disproportionately affect married women who have changed their names, military personnel, students, older adults, tribal citizens, rural residents, and people with disabilities. For many, proving citizenship may involve gathering multiple documents simply because their current legal name does not match older records. No eligible voter should face unnecessary obstacles because of paperwork.
Supporters argue the legislation is needed to prevent noncitizens from voting. However, noncitizen voting is already illegal and carries serious criminal penalties. Election officials, researchers, and independent investigations have consistently found documented cases to be exceedingly rare. Rather than targeting widespread fraud, the bill would impose new requirements on every eligible voter.
The SAVE America Act would also place additional burdens on state and local election officials. Election offices would need to verify citizenship documents, revise registration procedures, train staff, and resolve more registration disputes, all requiring time and resources that many jurisdictions already lack.
Americans should not have to overcome new bureaucratic hurdles to exercise one of our most fundamental constitutional rights. We can strengthen election security through accurate voter rolls, robust audits, modern election technology, and vigorous enforcement of existing laws without making it harder for eligible citizens to vote.
Our democracy is strongest when elections are both secure and accessible. Laws that risk disenfranchising eligible voters in response to a problem that evidence indicates is uncommon move us in the wrong direction. Congress should reject the SAVE America Act and instead pursue reforms that protect both the integrity of our elections and every eligible citizen’s right to vote.
Eileen J. Marum is a Marion resident and chair of League of Women Voters SouthCoast.
Thank you so much for saying so well what voters need to hear.
I think so would you doing I guess when you don’t have a heart, you don’t have a heart
77 percent of American voters support the voter ID. Is this publication being supported by a hostile foreign government?
They don’t support passport and birth certificates IDs. Most people think this act requires only a license. It does not. A married women would have to obtain documentation if she uses her husband’s surname. This is an act which is anti women and minorities.
Stop the nonsense and making excuses.
I believe real ID already require this. What’s the problem. Marriage licenses are easily obtainable as are birth certificates.
Can we discuss the number of citizens do not vote because they think their vote doesn’t matter?!
Supporting the Save America Act. In today’s world producing a ID is used in so many applications, so to have to show an ID to vote should not be a problem for anyone. God Bless America.
Thanks for your thoughts but I completely disagree. Providing documentation in order to vote is no different than showing documents to register children for school or when applying for a new job. Married people with name changes, they would have their paperwork already because you need that in order to change your name in the first place and to get married. Military personnel not having their paperwork….hmmm I find that very hard to believe. This ACT is being created to add another layer of protection to ensure that OUR voting rights are safe. I am not sure where you get your news from but there is TONS of voter fraud going on. I support this ACT and hope that is passes.
It would be helpful if you could produce a link to the evidence for your statement.
Great suggestion
Ridiculous. It is the height of paternalism to suggest that women and people of color are incapable of doing something simple like proving their identity, when millions of them already do so for everything from opening bank accounts to using restaurant reward programs. Voting in elections is a right reserved for citizens.
Birth certificates and passports require money and months to acquire.
The 14th amendment to the US Constitution reads “the right of citizens to vote….shall not be denied…by reason of failure to pay any poll tax”.
People need to distinguish between a “real ID” which requires one to produce birth certificate and/or passport for voter registration, and a standard ID . A driver’s license with a “real ID” has a star in the upper right hand corner which shows that a birth certificate or passport was already produced at the DMV when obtaining the driver’s license.
It would be helpful if you could produce a link to the evidence for your statements about the “real ID”star in the right upper hand corner showing that a birth certificate or passport was already produced at the DMV when obtaining the driver’s license.
Your source and statements are absolutely incorrect.
Thank you. I stand corrected. Please see the explanation I have recently provided.
You are correct. Please see my comments made on July 22, 2026 at 12:27 pm. I was not aware that this license could be issued temporarily to green card holders, or those with work permits.
For registering to vote, one needs a CERTIFIED birth certificate.
This is different from a photocopy.
A certified copy of a birth certificate is usually obtained from the records office that has the original document on file. It is a copy with an official RAISED SEAL from that office stamped on the certificate..
How to tell if you have a certified copy
https://www.usbirthcertificates.com/articles/how-to-determine-birth-certificate-official
There is usually a fee. Example:
City of New Bedford fees for certified copies of vital records
https://newbedfordmavitals.permitium.com/rod
Hope this is useful.
This is just kooky talk, to hear how much of burden or inconvenience it would be to obtain an ID to vote is a complete joke. Stop the nonsense already.
I agree with the author that election integrity is essential to democracy.
Passage of the SAVE America Act would validate the eligibility of individuals to vote in Federal elections and enhance the election integrity that is essential to democracy.
“Paperwork” (digital, or otherwise) is an essential and integral component of all verification processes. The generic blast of concerning “ could disproportionately effect…” also means that it “could not disproportionately effect…”. This is similar to “may or may not” or “could or could not”. As noted by another commentator, including the military is disingenuous, as they are likely the easiest to verify as the Federal Government has their citizenship status.
In my opinion, the production of a valid USA passport or a valid USA Birth Certificate or valid Naturalization Papers along with supporting documents (marriage certificates, etc.) is a not unreasonable requirement to document your eligibility to vote in Federal Elections. This would be a responsibility that accompanies the privilege of voter eligibility.
The recent revelation that New Jersey enrolled 6,000 +/- ineligible voters, by utilizing New Jersey Driving Licenses issued to non-citizens, as verification. So far, 400+/- have been verified as having illegally voted as a result of this error. Massachusetts also issues Driving Licenses to non-citizens and is at risk of a similar error.
A plethora of organizations currently exist to assist any and everyone with this essential process to secure election integrity. Direct your organization efforts to facilitate this process, rather than attempting to obstruct reasonable actions.
Governor Sherrill did the right think by being transparent about the software glitch that happened during her predecessor’s administration. That software company is no longer employed by New Jersey. Governors and election officials should examine their voting procedures and work to reform any weaknesses in their software systems. One of the strengths of our federal system is that states administer elections and have custody of the paper ballots which can be audited or recounted. We need to keep our non-networked federal election system and avoid attempts to nationalize voting and data collection, especially by the use of biometrics. We also need to know more about the owners of these voting machine and software companies.
The software company did not have access to voter registration in New Jersey, therefore, it was not a “software glitch”. This illegal registration and voting was known to Governor Murphy insure whom it took place. However, he did not disclose this illegal activity or move to correct same.
Federal election enrollments are too valuable to be left in the hands of individuals and states that do not execute their responsibilities.
Governor Sherrill was transparent only after she knew that this story was coming out and she wanted to get in front of it. Voting is sacred and asking for a birth certificate is not a great obstacle. I do not want my vote vetoed by the vote of someone who should not be voting.
Furthermore the reason we don’t learn of too many cases of non-citizen voters is because the States refuse to allow examination of the voter rolls by anyone outside the State. The Heritage Foundation has filed lawsuits in several States and won then to get the voter rolls purged of hundreds of thousands of voters who have died or moved to other States. These are areas that open up the possibility of voter fraud and are not acceptable. Everyone wants transparency except on the subject of just who is voting.
This is not correct.
A “real ID’ CAN be obtained without producing either a USA Birth Certificate or a USA Passport.
A valid Green Card or a valid Permanent Resident Card or a valid USA Work Authorization Form are accepted in lieu of either a USA Birth Certificate or a USA Passport for a “real ID”.
Valid Green Card holders, valid Permanent Residents and valid USA Work Authorization Form holders are not allowed to vote in our Federal Elections as they are not citizens of the USA.
Further, as a “real ID’ does not identify the method used to verify the Identity and Lawful Status of the holder, it cannot be utilized within the SAVE America Act for verification of eligibility to vote in Federal elections.
Please correct your comment.
I meant to say, Smartmatic (not Votematic)
Idemia in Kenya
“Data Rights, the Kenya Human Rights Commission and the Nubian Rights Forum (NRF) are suing IDEMIA, one of the leading biometric tech companies in the world, for failing to adequately identify and address human rights risks linked to its provision of a technology to capture the population’s biometric data in Kenya. ”
https://plan-vigilance.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Idemia-Kenya-VENG.pdf
Apparently, Idemia and Smartmatic have been sued before. We should be aware of any contracts they have or are negotiating with any of our state election commissions.
6600 Illegal residents in New Jersey have been added to the voter rolls due to automatic registration with a license. Massachusetts and 24 other states now have automatic registration policies (2023), so multiply that 6600 number
X 24, (158,400 potential illegal voters). sounds like same day registration, automatic registration and drivers licenses for illegals is a problem to me. I’ll be happy to submit a couple additional pieces of paper to ensure election integrity, thanks.
Wow look at what has happened in New Jersey, like Massachusetts it’s just another far left liberal blue toilet, and no one would be surprised to see this happen in our state. 100% Supporting the Save America Act.
If you are referring to me, I stand corrected. I applied for my valid ID when they were first announcing it. When I obtained my valid drivers license at the DMV, I had to give two proofs of citizenship from the following: a certified birth certificate, a passport, or my social security number. That resulted in a valid driver’s license which had a star in the upper right hand corner of my license, and was recognized for accessing federal buildings, flying within the country, and voting in national elections.
I did not know that green card holders, or those with valid work permits could obtain a temporary “valid?” ID for twelve months that could not be renewed. I don’t know if this was true at the time that I applied for mine, or if it has become the practice since then. I am glad that you called it to my attention.
I am also glad that Governor Sherrill has called the software glitch to our attention.
IDEMIA , the software company involved failed to detect when applicants stated they were NOT citizens. IDEMIA claims it submitted the data and that the state elections commission is responsible.
We will be seeing lawsuits about this. We will also see many partisan claims on both sides.
We should be aware that IDEMIA is the software company used by VOTEMATIC, the voting machine company whose case against FOX news is still being litigated.
FOX news had to pay a huge settlement to DOMINION voting machine company for falsely claiming that the machines were faulty. I have not yet determined if IDEMIA software was used by them.
I have seen that an effort is now underway by IDEMIA to use BIOMETRIC voting machines. In my opinion, this would not be good for democracy as it would accelerate the implementation of a CENTRALIZED SURVEILLANCE STATE. There have been efforts to implement this in several of our states. The American people do not need big brother involved in their elections.
Centralized voting systems are what you have in authoritarian states. One of the strengths of our federal system is that states administer elections and have custody of the paper ballots which can be audited or recounted.
States should examine their voting procedures and work to reform any weaknesses in their software systems. Most of the federal cybersecurity experts and elections experts have been fired, so states will have a more difficult time doing this, but governors and election officials need to follow Governor Sherrill’s lead.
Self correction: Smartmatic, not Votematic
The applications( 6,600 ) involved were all clearly marked by the applicants that they were non-citizens.
The New Jersey State Elections Commission failed to check these forms that they requested for citizenship. The New Jersey Elections Commission knew these applications included non-citizens, yet they either did not check or care about that fact.
Further, 400 +/- non-citizens decided to illegally vote in elections in New Jersey (? Federal ?State ?Both).
Governor Murphy was aware and elected (pun intended) to do nothing about this illegal activity within his administration.
Yes, lawsuits will abound, however, this shows election vulnerability when Federal voting verification is relegated to the individual states.
What happened in New Jersey, is happening in all blue states, and it’s always blame the federal government. The blue states continue to show why people are leaving massive numbers and it’s to get away from the far left liberal failed policies. No one in this city would be surprised to see voter fraud happen in our state. 100% Supporting the Save America Act.
Apparently, the software company involved in New Jersey is being used throughout our government.
According to the following article,
….IDEMIA National Security Solutions also holds contracts involving defense, intelligence, law enforcement and homeland security operations…..
…“A single vendor is thus embedded, simultaneously, in how the government screens travelers, secures ports and hazardous-materials handlers, processes travelers at the border, runs criminal background checks, issues civilian identity credentials, and supports military and intelligence identity operations,” Gottheier said”
…”He also wants auditors to determine what biometric and personally identifiable information IDEMIA collects, stores, or transmits, including fingerprints, facial images, iris data, and biographical records, as well as where the information is physically and electronically maintained. ..”
Gottheimer seeks federal audit of IDEMIA contract
https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/gottheimer-seeks-federal-audit-of-idemia-contracts/
We do need to address state election vulnerabilities. Federal monitors can work with state officials to do this, but state election records should not be incorporated into a centralized federal database.
We need to maintain our federal system of state-run elections where paper ballots are maintained locally and subject to post-election audit and/or recount.
I believe the DMV issues in New Jersey can be addressed by a joint team of federal and state officials who will find a way to correct the problem. I am waiting to see if any other states have press releases about this. Right now, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania officials have examined and verified their records.
I did find one other state that had software glitch issues with Idemia, but that was in their biometrics, where facial recognition software was not working. I believe North Carolina is not going to renew their state contract with Idemia.
North Carolina officials claim a glitch in Idemia’s software required the state to stop dispersing driver’s licenses and identification cards.
https://statescoop.com/north-carolina-dmv-idemia-dispute-2024/
I believe Idemia has most of the contracts for software used by our government, not just for elections, but also for TSA, the military, identification, etc. You can see why it is important that we know more about these software companies, who owns them, and what their safety procedures are.
Perhaps knowing the intentions of New Jersey State Election Board Commission members and their safeguards, obviously none then, to not register non-citizens to vote would be more telling.
Also, why Governor Murphy did not acknowledge this illegal action (known to him) to the public and his successor is also reflective of his honesty and character.
As the software company did not have access to voter registration capability, the New Jersey State Election Board Commission is solely responsible for this illegal registration of non-citizen voters and their subsequent illegal voting in elections.
The 6,600 files in question were all clearly marked as being non-citizen individuals. The New Jersey Board of Election Commissioners knew that licenses were issued to non-citizens, yet, they added these individuals to New Jersey voter registration lists.
No amount of “nuance” can undo these illegal and negligent actions
In New Jersey. Governor Murphy should be investigated as to his part in this illegal registration and his non-disclosure after the fact of these actions.
This smells as bad as a dirty truck in August.
If, as you say, the software company did not have access to election data, then I agree that there should be an investigation that reveals all the facts, and that justice should be administered to those found guilty of willfully violating the law. We still live in a society where one is innocent until proven guilty. I have served on a jury. The experience gave me a greater appreciation of our jury system and rule of law.
I do not want thumbs on the scale from any party for this or any other election.
I also do not want this case to be used as justification for the federal government to establish a centralized election database, or confiscate ballots, or send ICE agents to polling places. There can be federal oversight when necessary, but states should continue to exercise their constitutional right to run elections and have custody of paper ballots which can be used in post election audits or recounts.
The Constitution Law Center has a helpful, but detailed explanation of what present laws and the proposed law require concerning voter registration.
Understanding Voter Registration Changes Proposed by Congress and the President
Understanding Voter Registration Changes Proposed by Congress and the President
https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/understanding-voter-registration-changes-proposed-by-congress-and-the-president
Additional information:
I need to correct my previous belief that Idemia software was widely used for elections.
On July 22, 2026, I emailed Verified Voting asking if IDEMIA software had been used in either the Smartmatic or Dominion voting machines in 2020. I also wanted more information about how this software had been used in the 2024 elections concerning the New Jersey DMV and the erroneous voter registration of non citizens.
This part of the reply is most pertinent to IDEMIA and elections in 2024;
“Idemia’s software is not utilized by Dominion (Liberty Vote) nor any other voting systems vendor that we are aware of; Dominion (Liberty Vote) uses proprietary software.
Idemia is, however, implicated in the erroneous registration of non-citizens in New Jersey, and we are still awaiting more information and investigation into exactly how their software miscoded self-declared non-citizens at the DMV. ”
So, to me, the voter registration software problem now seems to be only in New Jersey, and not nationwide. We will have to see the investigation unfold.
I have been checking and have not seen much more from any other states.
Write all you want, supporting the Save America Act 100%.
Listen to the Cue Ball, James Carville says we got to many damn problems in this party, quit fighting against voter ID requirements, he warns it polls at 75%, time to quit fighting and move on to the next thing.
The most enduring political metaphors survive because they capture something fundamental about human nature. The story of the Trojan horse has lasted for nearly three millennia not because it celebrates conquest, but because it warns against a more subtle danger: the temptation to mistake reassuring appearances for lasting wisdom.
That story came to mind as I considered the SAVE Act. The SAVE Act stands for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, a federal election integrity bill that primarily amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate to register to vote in federal elections.
Its supporters present the legislation as a straightforward measure to protect elections by requiring documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration. The objective they describe commands broad agreement. A democracy cannot function without confidence that its elections are both lawful and trusted. Americans should expect safeguards that protect the integrity of the vote.
The question is whether every proposed safeguard strengthens democracy, or whether some risk narrowing it in ways that deserve closer examination.
The Trojan horse is an apt metaphor not because it suggests malicious intent, but because it reminds us that consequences often differ from promises. Throughout history, societies have embraced measures that seemed prudent in the moment, only to discover later that they had accepted tradeoffs they did not fully anticipate.
Democracy has always required a careful balance between two obligations: protecting the legitimacy of elections while preserving broad access to the ballot for those entitled to vote. When either principle eclipses the other, public confidence suffers. Security without meaningful access weakens participation. Access without public confidence weakens legitimacy. The challenge is not to choose between these values but to preserve both.
History offers few examples of democratic decline that began with dramatic ruptures. More often, change arrived incrementally, through measures that appeared modest in isolation and reasonable in purpose. That does not mean every reform is misguided. It does mean every reform deserves scrutiny equal to its ambitions.
The lesson of the Trojan horse is not to reject every gift brought to the city gates. It is to examine what accompanies the gift before inviting it inside.
Whether one ultimately supports or opposes the SAVE Act, the legislation should be judged by more than its title or its intentions. In a constitutional democracy, the health of our institutions depends not only on securing elections, but on ensuring that every eligible citizen can participate in them with confidence. Those goals are strongest when they reinforce one another rather than compete.
Again, thank you for this.
Write all the bipartition sermons you want, it’s always the same garbage that is repeated over and over again. No party is better than the other, all have made mistakes, and all have failed the citizens of this country at one time or another. Time to stop with the holier than now nonsense.