The SAVE Act Would Stop Some Disabled People from Voting

What is the SAVE Act?

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act is a bill. A bill is an idea for a law. People do not have to do what the bill says until it becomes a law. If the SAVE Act becomes law, it will make it much harder for some disabled people to vote. That is because the SAVE Act would make it much harder for people to register to vote.

A person has to register to vote before they can vote in an election. Registering means proving that you are allowed to vote. In some states, people also have to state which political party they belong to when they register to vote. In most states, you can register as a Democrat, Republican, or Independent.

Right now, different states have different laws about registering to vote. In some states you can register on the day of the election. In many states, you have to register before the election. Some states let you register online. Some states make you register in person.

What would the SAVE Act do if it became law?

The SAVE Act would make some laws about registering to vote the same in every state. The SAVE Act would change the law to make it much harder for disabled people to vote.

The SAVE Act would make everyone register to vote in person. A support person or guardian could not register on your behalf. Many disabled people do not have a way to get to their local election office. That is why many disabled people register to vote through the mail. In 2020, more than 50% of disabled voters voted through the mail. That means a lot of disabled people need the option to register to vote by mail, too. If no one is allowed to register to vote by mail, thousands of disabled people will not be able to vote.

The SAVE Act would require people to show their U.S. Passport or birth certificate when registering to vote. Many disabled people do not have access to their passports or birth certificates. Many disabled people do not have updated driver’s licenses or state identification cards because the process for obtaining them is not accessible. Under the SAVE Act, a standard driver’s license or state ID alone would not be enough. You would also need a passport, birth certificate, or a special type of driver’s license called a REAL ID that shows you are a U.S. citizen. If the SAVE Act becomes law, everyone would have to show physical copies of these documents in person to register to vote. Physical copies mean you can not just show a picture of your documents. You have to bring the original document with you and show it to the person at the location where you are registering to vote.

If the SAVE Act becomes law, the names on all of your documents would have to match, or you would have to go through extra steps to prove who you are.. That means if you got married or changed your name for another reason, you would have to update all of your documents before you could register to vote, and provide extra documents to prove your identity, which can be difficult and time-consuming. Everyone would have to re-register in person with all these documents if their name, address, or political party changes. This would stop a lot of disabled people from voting.

It is already hard for many disabled people to vote. Many polling places are not accessible. Laws about voting can be hard to understand. And many disabled people do not have a way to get to a place where we can vote, especially if we live far away from a place where we can vote. We call the things that make it hard for disabled people to vote barriers. The SAVE Act would add even more barriers and stop many disabled people from voting.

What can we do to stop the SAVE Act from becoming a law?

Read our plain language Action Alert about the SAVE Act to learn how you can help!

How else can I help protect voting rights for people with disabilities?

You can get involved with our fabulous partners at REV UP and VoteRiders!

About REV UP

REV UP is a national nonpartisan movement led by the American Association of People with Disabilities to build the power of the disability vote. REV UP stands for “Register, Educate, Vote, Use your Power!” and focuses on increasing civic engagement in the disability community and improving election accessibility. Rooted in change at the local level, REV UP has disability vote coalitions in 22 states (and growing!). To get involved:

• Join our national REV UP events
• Sign up to receive REV UPdates
• Email [email protected] to get connected to a coalition, or help form one in your state!
• Find resources and learn more on our website

States with REV UP Coalitions:

Alabama, Arizona, California , Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania/Philly, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

About VoteRiders

Disabled Americans are one of the many groups affected by voter ID laws. By creating unnecessary and expensive barriers to the voting booth, laws like the SAVE America Act would undermine and distort our democracy by blocking millions of eligible voters, including voters with disabilities, from participating in the democratic process. At VoteRiders, we fight for equal access to the ballot box by educating the public on the voter ID laws in their respective states and providing free, direct assistance to anyone who needs an ID or other supporting document to cast their ballot. We also offer rides to ID-issuing offices, ensuring those who are unable to drive or do not have accessible transportation are not blocked from voting.