New voter registration requirements under the SAVE Act could soon be in place for all American citizens, potentially limiting voter accessibility.  
 
On April 10, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives at 220 to 206, with only four democrats voting for it. The proposed bill requires original documentation to be shown when a US citizen registers to vote.  
 
The purpose of the bill is to amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which requires proof of United States Citizenship to register to vote in elections for federal office, according to Representative Chip Roy, author of the bill.  
 
As defined in the bill, original documentation includes birth certificates and valid United States passports. Real IDs, driver licenses and military IDs will not be accepted as original documentation. 

According to the Center for American Progress (CAP), 146 million American citizens do not own a passport, and 21 million Americans do not have access to their birth certificates. 

Under the SAVE Act, the 69 million women and four million men who have changed their surnames in America would not be able to use their birth-certificate as documentation for voter registration; they would have to bring further name-change documentation, like a marriage license, in addition to their original birth certificate.  

An estimated 3.3 million transgender people whose names do not match their birth certificates could also be impacted, according to CAP.  

Under the SAVE Act, after citizens apply to receive mail-in ballots, they will be required to present original documentation in the county they are registered to vote. 

In the 2024 presidential election, 99.22 million Americans voted via mail-in ballot, according to the United States Postal Service. A total of 155 million people voted in the 2024 election, per reporting from NPR, meaning that 64% of votes were cast by mail. 

An estimated 60 million Americans live in rural areas, and under the SAVE Act, they would be required to travel to the nearest polling station to become “approved” registered voters for each federal election, according to CAP. 

If students do not have access to the required documentation to vote in the next federal election, they can get a new Colorado birth certificate or they can order replacement birth certificates from their home state. Colorado offers a birth certificate correction service for in-state students who have changed their names. 

Photo courtesy of the Brookings Institution.