Hinson, Miller-Meeks, Nunn back bill that could make it harder for married women to vote

The SAVE Act is a massive overhaul of the country’s elections. Iowa’s House delegation was part of the razor-thin margin that passed it. The bill could disproportionately impact eligible women voters. 

The US House of Representatives passed an elections overhaul bill Wednesday that would implement sweeping regulations on how people register to vote and how they cast a ballot. The bill is drawing criticism due to provisions in it that could make it more difficult for married women or LGBTQ+ people to register if their names have changed.

While Republicans frame the bill as preventing non-citizen voting—a problem that state audits show is virtually non-existent—the legislation would create substantial barriers for millions of eligible American voters.

What the SAVE Act does

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act or SAVE Act requires Americans to provide documentary proof of citizenship at the time that they register to vote. An eligible voter who does not have access to the required documents will be unable to register.

The most popular form of ID, a driver’s license, is not an adequate proof of citizenship. While a passport would work, only 40.3% of Iowan citizens have a valid passport, according to the US Department of State. Roughly 1.8 million Iowan citizens do not have a passport. It’s estimated that 146 million Americans don’t have passports. This leaves birth certificates as a primary option for most voters. But that also comes with problems.

Birth certificates often do not reflect a married and/or LGBTQ person’s name once it has been legally changed (more on that later). This requires additional means of corroborating a person’s identity, an additional burden between an otherwise eligible voter and their ballot.

The SAVE Act also mandates showing government-issued photo ID at the polls. The bill effectively ends online and mail-in voter registration, requiring in-person registration with original documents. It provides state election officials with access to new federal agency databases. And it requires the US Department of Homeland Security to notify state chief election officials of recently naturalized citizens. 

The gender gap problem

Most women in opposite-sex marriages (79%) say they took their spouse’s last name when they got married, according to the Pew Research Center. That number increases to 84% when you include women who hyphenated their surname. Under the SAVE Act, an estimated 69 million women would not be able to use their birth certificate to prove their citizenship, according to the Center for American Progress, a liberal policy institute.

Getting a matching document requires tracking down marriage certificates, potentially court orders, and navigating bureaucratic processes that cost time and money. For divorced women who’ve changed their names multiple times, or women who married young and no longer have easy access to old records, the barriers multiply.

What the SAVE Act doesn’t do

Notably absent from the legislation: any effort to help citizens obtain the required documents. No funding to make birth certificates or passports cheaper or more accessible. No provisions to assist women in updating their documents. .

Iowa’s Congressional delegations says ‘Aye’ 

All of Iowa’s members in the US House voted for the SAVE Act. 

“I was proud to vote to pass the SAVE America Act in the House to strengthen election integrity and protect the fundamental principle that only American citizens should decide the future of our nation,” US Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks said in a release following its passage. 

In a statement, US Rep. Hinson blamed the Biden administration for “loopholes” that allowed undocumented immigrants to vote. Her statement did not include what loopholes she was talking about or any evidence to back up her claim. 

On X, US Rep. Zach Nunn defended the need for Voter ID by writing that you need an ID to buy beer, pick up a prescription, and board a flight. None of those tasks require a passport or birth certificate, however. 

US Rep. Randy Feenstra wrote in a release, “Voting is a fundamental American right, and the integrity of our elections must be upheld nationwide. That’s why I was proud to cosponsor the original SAVE Act and am equally proud to support this expanded legislation that further strengthens election integrity.”

Having cleared the House, it now goes to the Senate, where it faces long odds. It would need seven Democratic votes to overcome a filibuster, or for Republicans to eliminate the filibuster.