A New Law Could Severely Disenfranchise American Women Voters. Here's How.
The latest attempt to restrict voting rights in the United States, known as the Save Act, poses a significant threat to the ability of many women - particularly those who belong to minority groups and are married - to cast their ballots. Under this bill, citizens would be required to provide official documents proving their citizenship, such as passports or birth certificates.
However, millions of Americans lack access to these documents, which could prevent them from registering to vote or updating their voter information. According to a study by the Brennan Center for Justice, nearly 21 million eligible voters do not possess necessary identification documents. Among those who don't have these documents readily available are more than 11% of people of color.
Women who have changed their last name after marriage could also face difficulties when trying to vote due to the lack of matching birth certificates and marriage licenses. The Save Act does not allow for alternative forms of documentation, which would force many women to appear in person at polling stations with their original documents.
The bill's true intentions remain uncertain, but its proponents claim that it aims to prevent voter fraud. Yet, there is little evidence to support this assertion, as even a study conducted during the 2016 election found only thirty incidents out of over 230 million votes suspected to involve non-citizens voting.
A recent attempt to pass a similar law in Kansas resulted in significant costs and disruptions to the electoral process. The Save Act could suffer from a similar outcome if it gains momentum before the November midterms.
The latest attempt to restrict voting rights in the United States, known as the Save Act, poses a significant threat to the ability of many women - particularly those who belong to minority groups and are married - to cast their ballots. Under this bill, citizens would be required to provide official documents proving their citizenship, such as passports or birth certificates.
However, millions of Americans lack access to these documents, which could prevent them from registering to vote or updating their voter information. According to a study by the Brennan Center for Justice, nearly 21 million eligible voters do not possess necessary identification documents. Among those who don't have these documents readily available are more than 11% of people of color.
Women who have changed their last name after marriage could also face difficulties when trying to vote due to the lack of matching birth certificates and marriage licenses. The Save Act does not allow for alternative forms of documentation, which would force many women to appear in person at polling stations with their original documents.
The bill's true intentions remain uncertain, but its proponents claim that it aims to prevent voter fraud. Yet, there is little evidence to support this assertion, as even a study conducted during the 2016 election found only thirty incidents out of over 230 million votes suspected to involve non-citizens voting.
A recent attempt to pass a similar law in Kansas resulted in significant costs and disruptions to the electoral process. The Save Act could suffer from a similar outcome if it gains momentum before the November midterms.
. It seems like politicians are trying to solve a non-existent problem - voter fraud in the US is already super low! 
30 incidents out of over 230 million votes? That's basically zero, right? 
And what about people who don't have access to all these official documents? That's not fair, but maybe they can just get an ID card or something instead? 
It's not like they're gonna be able to vote with their eyes closed... just saying. 
I'm really worried about this new law, it's just not fair 
. Millions of people, especially women from minority groups, are already struggling to access basic documents like passports and birth certificates. Can you imagine having to show up in person at a polling station with all these extra papers? It's gonna be so inconvenient and frustrating 
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. Either way, I just want to make sure our voting rights are protected and that every American can cast their ballot without any hurdles 
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... I mean, can you even imagine having to go through all that hassle just to vote? It's like they're trying to make voting as hard as possible! And what really gets me is that it's not just the women who are gonna be affected, but also people of color and those from low-income backgrounds. They already have so many barriers to overcome in life, why do we need to add this one too? 
It's crazy how some politicians think they can solve "voter fraud" with a law that's basically designed to disenfranchise whole groups of people... and what about the people who don't have the documents in the first place?! That's just not right 
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i mean come on, voter fraud is super rare and we should be focusing on making sure everyone has access to the ballot box not restricting it like this. this law would disproportionately affect women of color who are already facing so many barriers in life. we need to stand up against this kind of legislation and make our voices heard 
It's not cool that people who are married or whose names changed after marriage would have trouble getting their birth certificates and marriage licenses matched up, it's like... so unfair. 
. I don't get why they need us to show our passports and birth certificates just to vote - doesn't everyone have ID already? 
And what about all the people who got married and then lost their passport? Like, how would they prove their citizenship then? 
I'm so worried about this new law, it's really not fair that many women are gonna be disenfranchised like that! They're already on the back foot, trying to balance work and family life, and now they gotta deal with all these extra hoops to jump through just to exercise their right to vote. It's crazy that so many people don't have access to documents like passports or birth certificates - it's just basic stuff, you know? And what about all the women who've changed their last name after marriage? That's already a huge challenge for them, and now they gotta deal with not being able to find matching documents? 
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. I think it's awesome that we're taking extra steps to ensure only genuine citizens can vote. I mean, who doesn't love a good ID check? It's like we're playing a real-life game of "Who's On First?" 
. If people can't be bothered to get their documents in order, maybe they shouldn't be voting anyway. And honestly, I'm tired of all these "voter suppression" accusations. It's just common sense, right? I don't think 11% of people of color not having ID is a big deal... *shrugs*.
. It's already super hard enough for people of color and married women to get their voices heard.
- I went to see the giraffes, right? And then I saw this one little guy who was trying to reach the leaves on a tree and he kept getting his head stuck in these tiny branches 
. My friend and I were both laughing so hard we had to hold our bellies. It's amazing how sometimes life's biggest distractions are just the smallest things, you know? Anyway, back to this voting thing... it's crazy that people think they can control who votes by messing with their IDs 
. What's next?
and ppl in kansas already dealt with costs and drama when they tried to pass similar law 
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