The SAVE Act is back. Here’s why women should pay attention.

The SAVE Act has once again passed the House and is moving to the Senate. As in 2025, the bill would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.

New this time: it adds a federal voter ID requirement, expanding its scope beyond the previous version.

While the bill is unlikely to pass the Senate, its return — and expansion — signals continued efforts to make voting more restrictive nationwide, especially for women.

Why it Matters

Voting laws often look neutral on paper. In practice, they are not. The SAVE Act would raise barriers that disproportionately affect women:

• Name changes
  For women who changed their name due to marriage or divorce, the bill offers no workaround. Without a U.S. passport, a birth certificate would have to match a current photo ID to register to vote.
• Reliance on mail and absentee voting
  Women, especially caregivers, older women, and women with disabilities, are more likely to depend on flexible voting options that are increasingly being restricted.
• Time and cost burdens
  Obtaining updated documentation can require fees, travel, and time off work — barriers that fall hardest on women with caregiving or hourly work responsibilities.

Background

The SAVE Act has been introduced in multiple congressional sessions and has now passed the House in successive years. Supporters argue the bill is necessary to enforce existing laws that limit voting to U.S. citizens. Opponents counter that the new requirements would disenfranchise eligible voters without evidence of widespread non-citizen voting — and without providing states the resources needed to implement the changes.

The bill also fits into a longer trend in U.S. voting policy. In 2013, a Supreme Court decision weakened key enforcement provisions of the Voting Rights Act, eliminating federal review of voting law changes in certain jurisdictions. In the years since, states have enacted dozens of laws tightening voter ID rules, reducing early voting, closing polling places, and restricting registration.

As a result, access to the ballot now varies widely by state, and new federal proposals like the SAVE Act would further reshape who can vote and under what conditions.

Resources

NPR - What the SAVE Act could mean for millions of voters, according to a Brennan Center expert (2025)
WRDI Reporting - Attempt to restrict voting for married women (failed)
WRDI Explainer - Women's Voting Rights in the United States; How law, enforcement, and power have shaped women’s access to the ballot