Background

In January 2025, Representative Chip Roy (R-TX-21) and Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act (H.R. 22/S.128), which amends the National Voter Registration Act to require individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. This bill mandates that voters show proof of citizenship (such as a passport or birth certificate) in-person when registering or re-registering to vote.

This bill purports to address non-citizen voter fraud, but non-citizen voting is already illegal and extremely rare.  A Brennan Center for Justice study following the 2016 election found just 30 cases of suspected non-citizen voting out of 23.5 million ballots – just 0.000123 percent.

Instead, this bill would restrict voting rights for millions of Americans. More than 145 million Americans do not have a passport, and 70 million women do not have a birth certificate that matches their legal married name. The Brennan Center reports that the SAVE Act could disenfranchise more than 21 million voters. Because documents must be provided in-person, this bill would end online, mail-in, and automatic voter registration, forcing the tens of millions of voters who move, change their name, or switch parties each election cycle to travel to the DMV or other government office to update their voter registration. This would disproportionately harm elderly voters, disabled voters, rural voters, and low-income voters who face unique barriers when traveling to voter registration centers. 

The SAVE Act also enables private citizens to levy criminal charges against election workers suspected of insufficient compliance with the law. Already, 1 in 3 election officials report facing harassment, threats, and abuse while nearly 1 in 2 know someone who has left their job due to safety concerns. This bill targets the very foundation of our electoral system. 

The SAVE Act needlessly undercuts the right to vote, demonizes immigrants, puts election workers at risk, and recklessly sows doubt in our democratic processes. Now that the House has resolved to weaken voting rights, the Senate must work to defend our fundamental rights and build trust in the electoral process. Urge the Senate to oppose the SAVE Act. 

Jewish Values:

Our Reform Jewish values inspire our work to ensure equal access to the ballot. In his final speech to the Israelites, Moses invites everyone into the covenant, saying, “אַתֶּ֨םנִצָּבִ֤ים הַיּוֹם כֻּלְּכֶ֔ם (Atem nitzavim hayom kulchem) – You stand this day, all of you, before the Eternal your God – you tribal heads, you elders, and you officials, all of the men of Israel, you children, you women, even the stranger within your camp, from woodchopper to water drawer – to enter into the covenant of the Eternal your God” (Deuteronomy 29:9-11). We are all called to stand before God and actively shape our collective future. We are also instructed us to ensure full participation in religious and public life. We are commanded, “You shall not insult the deaf or place a stumbling block before the blind” (Leviticus 19:14). Stumbling blocks come in many forms, including unnecessary obstacles that, in practice, preclude eligible voters from casting their ballots. 

For More Information

For more information, please contact Eisendrath Legislative Assistant Eric Goldberg (egoldberg@rac.org).

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