The SAVE Act
Michael Baumgartner doesn’t boast about many of his votes, but he actually wrote that he was “proud to vote ‘Yes’ on the SAVE America Act” and “Requiring ID to vote is just common sense.” If only implementation of the bill was easy to accomplish. The SAVE Act would require that proof of citizenship be presented when voters register in person at a county elections office. Currently, most voters register online, by mail, or at the DMV, and only 6% of voters register in person. Birth certificates, passports, or enhanced driver’s licenses would be the only valid credentials sufficient for registration with a few rare exceptions. Further, if the names on these documents do not match exactly, it creates a name discrepancy. Women who change their legal names through marriage or divorce would face additional steps to fix this discrepancy at considerable cost in travel, time, and money. The requirement applies any time a voter updates their registration, including after moving. A move as harmless sounding as changing units in an apartment complex would trigger the need to reregister. Noncitizen voting is exceedingly rare despite the best efforts of election skeptics. While Baumgartner argues the SAVE Act is necessary to prevent noncitizens from participating in federal elections, it would introduce severe logistical roadblocks for thousands of eligible American citizens who happen to live far from urban centers, such as right here, in Baumgartner’s predominately rural district. The devil is in the details which Mike refuses to acknowledge.