Warner, Kaine Slam Save America Act As Voter Suppression Measure That Could Disenfranchise Millions

 

WASHINGTON – Ahead of a Senate vote, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) are sounding the alarm on the so-called ‘SAVE America Act’ and its far-reaching and harmful consequences for eligible voters. If signed into law, the SAVE America Act could strip millions of Americans of their ability to vote by imposing unnecessary and burdensome verification requirements. Under the SAVE America Act, voters would be required to provide proof of citizenship – such as a passport or birth certificate – to register to vote and photo identification to cast a ballot – even when voting by mail.

“We support reasonable steps that help maintain trust in our elections, including the voter identification requirements we already have in Virginia,” said the senators. “But the SAVE America Act goes far beyond that – it is a pretext for voter suppression. Republicans continue to raise baseless fears about election fraud and noncitizen voting, despite the fact that our elections are regularly audited and have also been tested repeatedly in courts, especially after 2020. Yet, no evidence of widespread voter fraud has ever been found. This bill is yet another extension of President Trump’s fixation on the 2020 election, and part of a broader effort to undermine confidence in our democracy ahead of 2026 and 2028.”

The SAVE America Act would: 

1. Require proof of name and citizenship before registering to vote (e.g., passport or birth certificate).
2. Require photo identification before voting in person or by mail.
3. Expose poll workers to new criminal penalties, even if they’re just trying to help U.S. citizens vote.
4. Require states to purge voters, potentially using unreliable data and as late as on Election Day.

Under the bill, voters would need to provide proof of citizenship each time they register to vote or update their voter registration. Voters could use a passport or birth certificate with a matching name as proof of citizenship. However, 40 percent of all Virginians — or nearly 3.3 million people — lack a valid passport, and almost 2 million women in Virginia may not have a birth certificate that matches their current legal name. Those women would need to bring both their birth certificate and marriage license to register to vote under the proposed law.

Registering to vote for almost all voters would become more complex. All voters who register at the DMV, online, or by mail would have to present documentary proof of citizenship to their election official in person. This increased burden would have a disproportionate impact on rural voters due to longer drive times required to get to an in-person election office. Furthermore, only 21 percent of Americans with household incomes under $50,000, or 21 million eligible voters nationwide, possess a passport, compared to 64% of those earning over $100,000 — meaning the burden would fall disproportionately on lower-income citizens.

It is extremely rare for noncitizens to vote. In 2024, Virginia Public Radio reviewed over 650 cases of election-related crimes in Virginia’s state court system over the last 20 years found no instances of a noncitizen being convicted of voting illegally. Nationwide, the Center for Election Innovation & Research found that noncitizen voter registration and voting are exceedingly rare, and reported claims often exaggerate the scope of the issue.

Under the Republican proposal, Virginia’s 15,000+ volunteer poll workers would be exposed to new criminal penalties if they register someone to vote without proof of citizenship — even if that person is a U.S. citizen.

Yesterday, Sen. Warner spoke on the Senate Floor about the SAVE America Act, making clear it is nothing more than a disenfranchisement tactic – and that Virginia already has voter ID laws.