Voting rights advocates in New York and across the country are pushing back against the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act in Congress.
The U.S. Senate is debating the bill, which would include a strict voter ID law requiring people to use a passport or birth certificate to vote or register but more than 5 million New Yorkers who are citizens do not have passports. Supporters said the bill would crack down on noncitizen voting, although data show it rarely occurs.
Justin Kwasa, democracy program manager for the League of Conservation Voters, said instead, it would create more challenges for historically disenfranchised communities.
“Communities that have suffered the worst impacts of environmental injustice also traditionally haven’t been allowed to be a part of the voting process in our nation’s history,” Kwasa explained. “In order to correctly address environmental issues, we need to have a strong democracy and we need to have these communities participate.”
The bill also comes with a large financial burden. The National Association of Counties estimated implementing the measure would cost 11 times more than current federal grant funding provides and states would be responsible for picking up the tab on the bill’s $510 million cost increase for elections.
Despite their potential effects, polls show most Americans support voter ID laws, with a majority of states already requiring identification to vote. But not everyone has access to a birth certificate or passport, the kinds of documents required under the bill.
Kwasa noted the bill also contains carve-outs for certain people.
“A huge argument against the SAVE Act is the ‘married woman’ provision, where you have to have your original birth certificate,” Kwasa pointed out. “Millions and millions of married women wouldn’t qualify to register to vote because their current name does not match their birth name.”
In New York, it could include as many as 3.7 million people. Even if the bill fails, some individual states are leaning toward similar measures. In legislatures nationwide, more than 138 bills are being considered to implement stricter voter ID requirements or further proof of citizenship for voting or voter registration.
Edwin is a reporter and producer in North Tonawanda, New York. He’s previously reported for the Niagara Gazette and the Ithaca Times. Edwin got an early start in radio interning for WBFO-88.7FM, NPR’s Buffalo affiliate. In 2018, he graduated from SUNY Buffalo State College with a B.A. in Journalism, and in 2022, graduated from Syracuse University with an M.S. in Communications.