MAGA Republicans are marking Women’s History Month by pushing a bill that could block millions of women from voting just for changing their last name after marriage.
The SAVE Act is a top priority bill for Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans. It would require eligible American citizens to use their passport or certified birth certificate to register to vote. A driver’s license would not be sufficient in most cases.
Married women who have changed their names would face a marriage penalty and wouldn’t be able to use their birth certificates. This could impact up to 69 million women nationwide.
“Women’s History Month should be a time to honor women throughout American history who fought and won the right to vote—not to push new barriers that could silence millions. The SAVE Act’s marriage penalty is a blatant attack on women’s suffrage. Congress must reject this attack on the freedom to vote,” said Defend The Vote Executive Director Brian Lemek.
CBS News: “Experts warn the proposed SAVE Act could make it harder for some married women to vote.”
NBC New York: “Voting rights groups have said married women who have changed their name could have trouble registering under the SAVE Act”
Sun Sentinel: “Voter suppression now targets millions of women”
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “SAVE Act could disenfranchise millions of married women”
WKYC: “SAVE Act could prevent people like married women who have legally changed their name from registering to vote”
MLive: “Millions of married women voters could be disenfranchised under proposed federal law, opponents say”
Dallas Morning News: “The SAVE Act does not include proof of name change or a marriage certificate as acceptable proof of identity.”
Yahoo: “For married women who take their spouse’s name…this could present a problem if they lack a passport.”
WGLT: “Wollrab cited married women and military families as the groups whom she believes will be impacted the most by the SAVE Act.”
MySA: “The bill language does not include whether a marriage certificate or other legal documentation that indicates a legal name change would be acceptable under the proposed rules.”
Queen City News: “Proposed bill would change voter registration rules, could affect married women”
NewsNation: “Will the SAVE Act keep married women from voting?”
Salon: “Marriage certificates and name-change documents are not listed in the bill as accepted documents to prove citizenship.”
The Wayne Stater: “How SAVE act will impact women’s right to vote”
Democracy Docket: “The SAVE Act could also disenfranchise millions of married women”
Nevada News Service: “She argued the legislation would disproportionately affect certain groups like rural and tribal voters, the elderly, college students, as well as active military service members and married women whose last name does not match their birth certificate.”
USA Today: “SAVE Act would make voting harder for spouses who changed names.”
Washington Post: “Many people do not have ready access to birth certificates or passports, including women who changed their names when they got married”
Glamour: “The SAVE Act Could Stop Millions of Women From Voting. Here’s What You Need to Know”
Newsweek: “Married women could be stopped from voting under the SAVE Act.”
MSN: “‘They’re coming after women’s suffrage’: Republicans reintroduce SAVE Act to create voting barriers for married women.”
Chron: “SAVE Act reintroduced: Potential challenges for married women voters”
Axios: “Married women who have changed their last names, young voters and voters of color are more likely to have problems accessing necessary documentation, the Brennan Center says.”
Ms. Magazine: “As many as 69 million women who have changed their last name to match their spouse’s do not have a birth certificate matching their legal name.”
Blavity: “The bill could also affect certain groups, including those who do not have passports (140 million) and married women (69 million) who do not have a birth certificate that matches their legal last name, according to the Center for American Progress.”
