The Senate is considering an act that would change voter registration.
The House of Representatives recently passed a bill that would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote, a requirement some Northeastern University experts said could pose a challenge.
“For some individuals, it will only create a dent in their lives,” says Chinbo Chong, an assistant professor of political science and cultures, societies and global studies. “Those are individuals who have the means to get these documents, even though it’s a little bit of an inconvenience. But among those who already face challenges getting to the ballot box, it’ll create additional barriers.”
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or the SAVE Act, would require applicants to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote. This means presenting a birth certificate, passport, naturalization paperwork, or certain forms of Real ID that indicate citizenship (such as a driver’s license that indicates the holder was born in the U.S.).
The bill passed 220-208, with all Republicans and four Democrats voting in favor. Republicans say the measure will protect the integrity of voting, and Democrats have called it voter suppression. The measure now goes to the Senate.
Some Americans don’t have a passport or birth certificate or don’t have one with their current name, and getting these documents can be a challenge, some Northeastern experts say, which could create a hurdle for voters to address what some say is a nonexistent problem.
Chong says the act will affect people who may not have the time and resources to get these documents if they don’t already have them, especially low-income and rural voters. Nearly half of Americans do not have a passport, and in rural states such as West Virginia, Alabama and Mississippi, less than 30% of the population has one.
Getting a passport can take four to six weeks and has an application fee of $130.
While utilizing a birth certificate is also an option, some have raised concerns about how this will impact people who have changed their names, including those who are transgender or people who may have changed their name when they got married. Their names would not match what is on their birth certificate unless those were updated. Up to 69 million women have taken their spouse’s name and would be affected by this potential shift.
Some people also do not have access to their birth certificates, Chong adds. For example, many older Americans, especially in the South, were born at home, so they might not have a birth certificate readily available to them.
Getting a birth certificate, or any government paperwork, can be arduous, adds Alexandra “Xander” Meise, an associate teaching professor at Northeastern’s School of Law. It requires time (including being available at the hours government offices are open), access to transportation to get to these offices, and money to pay for documents. Each state also has different laws around accessing records.
“You may not have gone through the process (of getting a new birth certificate or passport) … for assorted reasons,” Meise says. “It costs money that you don’t have. There’s an administrative process that may be difficult. Or maybe you have to travel to an office to request it. The logistical difficulties in this, plus the cost difficulties, have the potential to affect a significant number of voters.”
“The proposed changes may not sound like a very big deal, but they are potentially a big deal,” adds Meise. “This kind of legislation … requires individuals to be able to plan ahead for registering to vote. … Do they have the correct documentation? Where is the registration office? How can they get to that office? Time and money are finite and people need to make individual choices as to how they spend their resources. Some people have more flexibility with those choices than others. Instituting voter registration requirements that increase the time and money burdens of registration, especially if you do not own the necessary citizenship documents already, can make the path to voter registration longer, and some people will not be able to complete that longer journey.”
Additionally, the act would make it so applicants must present their documents in person to their local election office, which could pose hurdles with people when it comes to time and transportation, particularly in rural communities where election offices may be spread out, says Chong.
“This creates a downstream effect,” she says. “Many Americans take for granted demonstrating that they’re citizens, but being questioned and asking for proof of citizenship creates a lot of intimidation.”
Costas Panagopoulos, distinguished professor of political science at Northeastern, says the legislation could present difficulties for the elderly.
“Older people quite frequently move in with family members,” Panagopoulos says. “They go to assisted living facilities or other places, and they may need to change their voter registration. But it is not easy for them to show up in person to do so. For rural voters, they may have to travel further distances to obtain this documentation and to visit election offices. All of those things become burdens that disproportionately affect people who have greater challenges.”
The SAVE Act intends to make it more difficult for non-citizens to vote in state and federal elections. But Northeastern experts say there are already laws preventing this and that instances where it does happen are uncommon.
“Voter fraud is vanishingly rare,” says Katherine Haenschen, who was a political organizer working on voter registration efforts before joining Northeastern as an associate professor in communication studies and political science. “There are very, very few instances of people attempting to vote with false identities or trying to falsely register. Even when it does happen, oftentimes those are accidents and not intentional efforts to subvert an election.”