Elfreth Votes No on the SAVE Act

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth (MD-03) voted against H.R. 22, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. The SAVE Act changes voter registration guidelines to require documentation that indicates proof of U.S. citizenship without including marriage licenses or name change documents in the list of approved documents.

“Nearly 70 million American women, Democrats and Republicans alike, have an ID with a name on it that does not match their name at birth. My colleagues across the aisle contend that voter fraud is rampant and that non-citizens are voting or intending to vote in elections. The truth of it is that voter fraud occurs 0.0003 percent of the time, which means that you’re more likely to be struck by lightning than for a non-citizen to try to vote in our elections,” said Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth. “This bill is a solution in search of a problem, and by slapping these unnecessary ID laws onto our books, we only disenfranchise millions of Americans and millions of women.”

H.R. 22 is opposed by the ACLU, the NAACP, and more than 35 civil rights and advocacy organizations. 

Elfreth is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and supports the fundamental right of servicemembers to vote in U.S. elections domestically and abroad. The SAVE Act has the potential to disenfranchise these brave men and women in uniform if they are unable to confirm their identity in person. 

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