By Suzanne Potter, Producer
Pro-democracy groups are speaking out against a bill being considered next week in the U.S. House of Representatives to require proof of citizenship to register to vote.
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act would require people to present a birth certificate, passport or certificate of citizenship in person to the county registrar.
Sydney Bryant, policy analyst at the Center for American Progress, noted a driver’s license or a REAL ID alone would not count and called the bill unnecessary, since the government already has the records.
“This is just shifting the responsibility of verification from the U.S. government, which it’s already efficiently doing, to everyday citizens who probably don’t have the time or bandwidth to do this every time they need to change their registration when they move,” Bryant contended.
They worry the measure could disenfranchise the tens of millions of people whose married name differs from their birth certificate.
The Trump administration argued it is necessary to protect election integrity but civil rights advocates countered noncitizen voting is already illegal and vanishingly rare. They worry the measure could disenfranchise the tens of millions of people whose married name differs from their birth certificate. The bill would also upend state systems allowing voters to register by mail or online or when they apply for a driver’s license or state ID card.
Bryant noted the measure would be a particular burden for rural voters.
“They would have to travel great lengths for many of them to provide in-person evidence of their citizenship,” Bryant pointed out. “For example, (in) San Bernardino County, some people live upwards of two and a half hours away from the county seat.”
Tens of millions of Americans lack the documents that would be required, especially senior citizens and low-income or rural voters.
