A 2023 Pew Research survey found that about 80% of women married to men in the U.S. take their husband’s last name. Under the SAVE Act, if their voter registration name differs from the name on their birth certificate or passport, they may need to show additional documents.
If the SAVE Act were to become law, Bedekovics said married women who have changed their names should obtain certified copies of all marriage certificates, locate their birth certificates, and keep any change-of-name documentation on hand for any updates to their voter registration.
Related:
How the SAVE Act may affect registering to vote for women, other groups – Snopes is a member of International Fact Checking Network (Poynter Institute).
Acceptable documents, per the bill, are passports, government-issued photo ID cards that include an applicant’s place of birth and REAL ID-compliant identification — enhanced driver’s licenses or other documents that meet standards set forth in the REAL ID Act of 2005 (see division B). In order to receive your first passport or REAL ID-compliant ID, proof of citizenship is required — usually a birth certificate if you were born in the United States.
Military ID cards also are accepted if they are presented alongside “a United States military record of service showing that the applicant’s place of birth was in the United States.”
Any other government-issued photo ID card is acceptable only if shown with specific documents, the most common being a certified birth certificate that meets certain qualifications, such as whether it includes the date the certificate was filed with the state records office.
Other documents accepted as proof of citizenship when offered alongside photo ID are adoption decrees, U.S. hospital birth records, consulate birth reports, naturalization certificates and American Indian Cards with the classification “KIC,” which denotes U.S. citizenship for Mexican-born members of the Kickapoo tribes of Texas and Oklahoma.
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However, having to produce additional documentation could likely make it more difficult for married women and other people who have legally changed their name since birth to register to vote. Marriage certificates as proof of citizenship are not explicitly listed as an acceptable form of documentation in the bill.
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Advocates for disability rights also expressed concern about the SAVE Act. While it directs states to offer “reasonable accommodations” to people with disabilities, it does not specify what those accommodations might be. The act is opposed by 145 civil rights organizations, including the ACLU and the League of Women Voters.
Fact check: Would SAVE Act disqualify voters who have changed their names? – PolitiFact (Poynter Institute).
In a statement provided by Roy’s office, Cleta Mitchell, the founder of the Only Citizens Vote Coalition, said married women regularly have to provide birth certificates and marriage licenses in order to change their names for Social Security documents, bank accounts and other documents. She acknowledged the process “is a pain,” but said “millions of women do it every day.”
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Women who change their names after marriage already face hurdles to vote in some states that require voter ID, PolitiFact previously reported.
Who’s Behind the Only Citizens Vote Coalition? – Issue One – Bridge Alliance Education Fund
It has endorsed federal legislation, supported by many congressional Republicans, known as the SAVE Act, which would require voters to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote — a measure many congressional Democrats and voting rights groups say is redundant and unnecessary.
Conservative Partnership Institute, Election Integrity Network, American Conservative Union, Institute for Free Speech, Public Interest Legal Foundation, Bradley Foundation, National Rifle Association, Council for National Policy, etc.
SourceWatch – Only Citizens Vote Coalition:
American Legislative Exchange Council, Immigration Accountability Project, America First Legal Foundation (Stephen Miller), America First Works (America First Policy Institute – AFPI, Koch Network, DonorsTrust, Americans for Limited Government, Turning Point USA, Convention of States Action, Linda McMahon – Department of Education), Americans for Limited Government, Conservative Partnership Institute, Family Research Council, Heritage Action (Heritage Foundation), MacIver Institute, Moms for America, Public Interest Legal Foundation, State Freedom Caucus Network, Texas Public Policy Foundation, Foundation for Government Accountability, etc.
Related Documents: Atlas Network, AFPI: America First Policy Institute, Bridge Alliance – Atlas Network
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