LANSING, Michigan — Experts warn that a proposed federal law requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote would disenfranchise certain groups, including married women who take their spouses’ last names.
Jocelyn Benson, Michigan Secretary of State, is among the election officials raising concerns about the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which has been introduced in the United States House of Representatives.
Benson appeared in a video posted this week opposing the bill.
“So, who is the SAVE Act likely to silence? Married women, particularly married women,” Benson stated in the 6-minute video.
According to Benson, more than 2.2 million married women in Michigan have changed their surnames.
Under the SAVE Act, married women who change their surname can still vote, but they must provide additional documentation if their ID name does not match their birth certificate. The bill sponsor stated that each state would determine the specific requirements for this documentation.
“If those women who have changed their names don’t have an updated U.S. passport — and more than 5.8 million Michigan adults don’t — they might not be able to register,” Benson said in the video, before encouraging Michigan residents to express their opposition to the SAVE Act to their congressional representative.
The SAVE Act is a contentious issue that reaches beyond Michigan.
According to a Pew Research survey published in September 2023, nearly 80% of women in the United States marry men and take their husband’s name.
The Center for American Progress, a Washington, D.C.-based policy institute, recently released a report warning that the SAVE Act “does not treat their right to vote as sacred and remains ignorant of the fact that the requirements of the legislation threaten to infringe on the voting rights of millions,” including Republican, Democratic, and independent women voters.
“The same Pew survey found that the two groups of women most likely to take their spouse’s name were conservative Republican women and Republican/Republican-leaning women, while the two least-likely groups were liberal Democratic women and Democratic/Democratic-leaning women,” according to the Center for American Progress’s report.
Another policy institute, the New York City-based Brennan Center for Justice, published a report last month claiming that the SAVE Act “would devastate voter registration while disenfranchising tens of millions” of Americans.
“Many might not have noticed how broadly the bill could apply — its show-your-papers requirement is not just limited to new registrations but rather applies to every ‘application to register to vote,’ which in many jurisdictions includes re-registrations and changes of address,” according to the Brennan Center for Justice’s report. “And tens of millions of Americans register or re-register between every federal election.”
Opposition to the proposal, including its potential impact on married women, has spread through politicians’ local town hall meetings and social media forums.
Last month, the League of Women Voters of the Lansing Area’s Facebook page posted a statement saying, “Take his name and lose your vote.” Tell your representative to vote no on the SAVE Act.
Benson and other SAVE Act opponents claimed that the proposal would impede voting access for college students, low-income residents, rural residents, and Black residents.
“We can and we must take every reasonable action to ensure only U.S. citizens are voting, but the SAVE Act is not a reasonable effort,” Benson told the audience.
If signed into law, the SAVE Act would significantly alter how people register to vote in Michigan, according to officials.
Voter registration by mail or online would be prohibited, and people would have to register in person only.
Instead of proof of residency, a driver’s license, or a state ID, those wishing to register to vote must provide proof of citizenship in the form of a passport or birth certificate, as well as a photo ID.
While enhanced licenses would be accepted as proof of citizenship, standard driver’s licenses, including those with the REAL ID designation, would not and would need to be accompanied by a birth certificate.
Michigan does not require residents to provide proof of US citizenship when registering to vote. However, new registrants must swear under oath that they are a US citizen and that the information about their identity and residency is correct.
