SAVE America Act Could Force 69 Million Married Women to Prove Their Name to Vote, Experts Warn

House Republicans dragged the stalled SAVE America Act back to life on Tuesday, bolting it to a must-pass spending bill, as experts warn the measure could force 69 million married women to prove their identities before voting.

The House voted 215-211 on 14 July to merge the election bill, formally the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, with a 2027 appropriations package funding the State Department and national security programmes, a manoeuvre known as 'MIRVing'. Every Democrat opposed the rule, joined by one Republican, Florida's Randy Fine.

The vote ended a two-week standoff that froze the chamber after 13 conservative holdouts, including Representative Anna Paulina Luna, blocked Speaker Mike Johnson's earlier plan on 30 June. Luna relented once Johnson agreed to attach the bill to must-pass legislation heading to the Senate.

The legislation would require Americans to present documentary proof of citizenship in person when registering to vote or updating a registration. Accepted documents include a passport, a birth certificate, or naturalisation papers.

An estimated 69 million American women who took a spouse's surname hold birth certificates that no longer match their legal names, according to a Center for American Progress analysis of Pew Research Center and US Census data.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has dismissed the concerns, saying there is 'zero validity' to claims the bill would stop women from voting.

None of this guarantees the bill becomes law. The Senate rejected it as an amendment in June by 48 votes to 50, with four Republicans joining Democrats, and Majority Leader John Thune says there is no path to the 60 votes needed.