Weekend Joe: The SAVE Act needs to be stopped now

March 2026

With the news piling up like a winter snowstorm in Buffalo, it can be difficult to sort out among the many urgent issues, those that are the biggest threats to democracy.  So, I hope to put on your most urgent radar, if it is not already there, the SAVE Act.  Now, Republicans will swear to you with a straight face that the SAVE Act is about voter ID.  They will next offer a rare (from them) truth, because 90% of Americans support IDs for voters.  And, like the OBBB (Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill), you really need to look at the details, because a voter ID is not what the SAVE Act is about.

What is the SAVE Act Really About?

First you have to provide proof of citizenship before you can register to vote.  I did not say before you can vote.  Actual voting is only possible after you prove you are an American citizen.  Under SAVE you have to go physically to a voting office to re-register to vote.  You will  need a passport, a passport card, or a birth certificate.  And to get a passport or passport card if you don’t have one, you need a birth certificate.  It has to be an embossed birth certificate.

Is That all the Bad News?

Well, no. It gets much worse, because the SAVE Act requires every state to hand over all of its sensitive voter information to the Department of Homeland Security.  That includes a lot of stuff people don’t want shared. The voter registration information will then be shared with the Social Security Administration and the IRS.

The Latest, Greatest Voter Suppression Effort

It would knock out millions and millions of voters. Any voters who don’t have a passport or who don’t have the embossed birth certificate are at risk of losing their constitutionally guaranteed right to vote.  The cost of securing a passport ($130 to $165) a passport card ($65) and lest we forget, you will need a passport to get a passport card, will be too expensive for many current voters.  It is estimated that the average cost of obtaining an embossed birth certificate is around $80. 

By the way, these prerequisite costs related to gaining the right to vote are just another way to define a poll tax. A poll tax was first implemented after the Civil War across Southern states and served as a systemic barrier to voting for poor citizens, especially African Americans.  Today, it is unconstitutional to use a poll tax or any similar financial requirement as a condition for participating in federal elections (Twenty-Fourth Amendment).  Trump has repeatedly challenged the validity of numerous laws with the expectation that “his” Supreme Court will twist itself into a legal pretzel to give him license to stand above the rule of law. We should not assume that the SCOTUS will uphold the Amendment in a court challenge.

Is There More?

Unfortunately, yes.  Women who have changed their names when they got married have to jump through additional hoops. Married and divorced women may not have the required documentation and would face significant challenges in getting it.  For married women that may have taken their spouses' last names and whose birth certificate no longer matches their legal names, this could become an additional barrier. The SAVE Act would not allow proof of name change or a marriage certificate as acceptable proof of identity, impacting anyone with birth certificates that don't match their current legal names.

Some states, (you can guess which ones) are pushing legislation at the state level to enact similar restrictive voting regulations.

Why SAVE, Why Now?

Why SAVE is pretty simple. The attack on voter rights, from the Republican world view, is the logical next step. Gerrymandering is maxing out its effective value. The Democrats are following suite, so it is becoming a zero-sum game. Voter suppression is a more risky venture. There is no conclusive data to support an accurate prediction on its impact on voter data post suppression. For example,65 million women have changed their names through marriage.  How many of them will end up in voter limbo?  How do those women vote?

The Why Now is pretty clear.  Donald Trump is terrified the Republicans will lose the House in November. And it looks at this juncture like the Senate may also be in play.

If either or both happen, Trump will be in serious jeopardy.  Epstein, Iran, gas prices, cost of living, Medicaid, tariffs and myriad other issues can be brought before Democrat-controlled House committees and investigated openly.  Trump will not have control over the budgeting process.  The graft that has been so blatant during the first half of this presidency can be investigated.  While he will still control the FBI and Justice, he will be unable to stop open examination of much of his erratic behavior before the public.  His legacy will be in shambles by the end of his second term.

Our Response

Contact Ted Budd and Tom Tillis and demand they vote against SAVE.  We have an excellent chance of killing SAVE in the Senate.  But do not hesitate.  Call early and often.

Thom Tillis

Phone: 202-224-6342

Ted Budd

Phone: 202-224-3154 

Joe Elliott, ejoe2397@gmail.com