1 week Ago By Tyler Duncan
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act will go before the U.S. Senate after passing the U.
S. House of Representatives 220-208, with U.S.
Reps. Gabe Evans and Lauren Boebert of Colorado’s 8th and 4th Congressional Districts voting in favor of the bill.If the SAVE Act becomes law, voters would need to provide a valid form of identification when registering to vote to ensure that they are U.
S. citizens. The bill’s supporters say it will help to combat voter fraud and allow only American citizens to vote by requiring proof of citizenship.
Opponents of the bill say it places unfunded, operationally unrealistic and legally precarious burdens on election offices across the country. Weld County Clerk and Recorder Carly Koppes joined nearly 60 other elected officials signing onto a letter opposing the act, listing such concerns.Under the bill’s current language, states and election officials will be mandated to make these changes immediately upon its passage into law and must take ongoing steps to ensure only citizens are registered to vote.
Failing to do so or making mistakes would result in legal difficulties or criminal charges against the election officials.“States already have systems in place to verify voter identity, and many have backend processes to confirm citizenship status,” the letter states. “The rushed timeline will increase the likelihood of errors, which, under the SAVE Act, could result in severe legal consequences for election officials who make unintentional mistakes while processing registrations.
”Evans and Boebert joined the bill’s supporters in saying the existing protections aren’t enough.“Democrats created the illegal immigration crisis with open borders and sanctuary city policies that often put criminal illegal immigrants ahead of American citizens,” Evans said in an email provided by his staff. “Republicans are cleaning up their mess with commonsense legislation like the SAVE Act, which protects and secures the future of our elections so that Americans, and Americans alone, decide the future of our democracy.
”Evans, whose district encompasses most of the eastern side of Interstate 25 from Thornton to Greeley, criticized the lack of enforcement mechanisms to ensure only citizens vote in elections. Evans also referenced a poll released in October 2024 by Gallup, a global analytics advisory firm, showing that 84% of Americans favor voter identification.The bill specifies that passports, military ID cards or state-issued forms of identification accompanied by a valid birth certificate, a green card or an American Indian card would be the only valid proof of citizenship accepted under the SAVE Act.
The birth certificate requires the individual’s full name and must match the state-issued ID shown at registration time.Critics of the bill have expressed concerns that married women who have changed their last name may have difficulties meeting the requirements set by the bill. The bill directs states to establish a process to address such discrepancies in documents.
When addressing the House, Boebert dismissed critics’ concerns as just using women as bait and a “gotcha” against the bill.“Bless my colleagues’ hearts on the other side of the aisle using married women as a gotcha for voting,” Boebert said.Boebert, whose district includes nearly half of the state east of Denver, said the American people are tired of the woke, weak-kneed system that lets elections get hijacked.
There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud impacting election outcomes.Boebert also criticized the current system for registering to vote, stating that it is vulnerable to error, fraud and exploitation.If the Senate passes the bill, it will then go to President Donald Trump for final approval before it becomes law.
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