Minnesota critics see new hurdles to voting in U.S. House measure

Voting-rights advocates in Minnesota are warning about the consequences of a measure passed by the U.S. House this week they say could disenfranchise millions of Americans.

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE, act bars residents from registering to vote in federal elections unless they provide documented proof of U.S. citizenship. The House passed the measure on a mostly party-line vote on Thursday; Minnesota’s four House Republicans all voted in favor, and its four House Democrats were opposed.

The measure is seen as unlikely to pass the U.S. Senate this year, even as its Republican backers argue it would restore widespread faith in the country’s election system and deter noncitizen voting.

“It’s a straightforward measure to ensure that only eligible citizens participate in our democratic process,” said Alex Plechash, spokesman for the Republican Party of Minnesota.

Critics see an effort to create more hurdles to the constitutional right to vote.

“It would introduce unprecedented chaos into our election system, not only in Minnesota but across the country,” Secretary of State Steve Simon said Friday. “We’re going to count on the U.S. Senate to stall or defeat this bill.”

People hoping to vote must bring proof of U.S. citizenship to the office of their election official in person, and states must create “an alternative process under which an applicant may submit other evidence to demonstrate U.S. citizenship.” You can read the full bill here.

Proof of citizenship would include an ID verifying citizenship as required by the REAL ID act of 2005, a U.S. passport, a military ID card with a record of service, a government-issued federal, state or tribal ID showing their place of birth in the U.S., a certified birth certificate or a naturalization certificate.

Data from states reviewed in 2024 suggest that voting by noncitizens is rare, and one study by University of St. Thomas professor Virgil Wiebe found three Minnesota convictions for unlawful voting or registration between last year and 2015. Wieb said all three people were lawful permanent residents. You can read the full St. Thomas study here.

Simon and Michelle Witte, executive director for the League of Women Voters of Minnesota, worry the bill will disenfranchise vulnerable Minnesotans. Simon and Witte said the bill’s current version, by creating new steps in order to vote, would result in lower participation levels from aging Minnesotans, people with disabilities, voters in rural counties, and residents who changed their name to avoid domestic abuse or to get married.

Witte estimates that around 84% of people across the nation have their names changed for marriage, translating to millions of Minnesotans who could be affected if the act becomes law, given that the birth certificates − the document voters are most likely to use to prove they were born in this country − don’t account for married names. That change would slow registration at local polling stations, and Witte says that could lead to fewer voters turning out.

“You’re creating this culture of fear around voting when this should be the most ‘mom and apple pie’ thing we do as a country,” Witte said.

The Senate received the measure after it passed the House of Representatives on Thursday, but it’s unclear when legislators could review it. The Senate is seen as unlikely to pass the act this year, with Republicans holding a majority that falls short of the 60 votes they would need to avoid a filibuster. Representatives also passed the measure last year but it never advanced in the Senate.