...one in 10 voting-age American citizens, or an estimated 21.3 million people, either don't have a proof-of-citizenship document like a birth certificate, passport or naturalization certificate, or don't have easy access to one, according to a 2023 survey commissioned by voting rights groups. The survey found people of color are more likely not to have a document proving citizenship.
Obtaining these documents takes time and money. Only about 43% of Americans have passports, according to an analysis by the Voting Rights Lab. The bill says voters can show an ID that indicates citizenship, but currently only five states — Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington — offer IDs that meet that criteria.
Voter registration would likely require a visit to a government office
The proposed republican-sponsored 'Save Act' specifies that if someone registers by mail they must present their documents "in person to the office of the appropriate election official" before the voter registration deadline passes (or if they are in a state where voters can register at a polling place, they could show their documents there). That requirement would also "completely upend" third-party voter registration drives that rely on mail forms, said Jonathan Diaz, an attorney with Campaign Legal Center, which advocates for expanded voter access and opposes the SAVE Act.
Requiring voters to show documents in person would be particularly burdensome for rural voters, people who rely on public transit and people who cannot leave work during business hours. In the 30 largest counties by area in the West, voters would have to drive an average of 260 miles to get to their election office, according to an analysis by the Center for American Progress. The same analysis found some voters in Alaska and Hawaii could have to fly to get to election offices.
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/12/nx-s1-5301676/save-act-explainer-voter-registration
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