SAVE ACT: Section 2. (b) (3)

“Under any method of voter registration in a State, the State shall not accept and process an application to register to vote in an election for Federal office unless the applicant presents documentary proof of United States citizenship with the application.”

SAVE ACT: Section 2. (b) (3)

(A) IN GENERAL.—At the request of a State election official (including a request related to a process established by a State under paragraph (2)(A) or (2)(B)), any head of a Federal department or agency possessing information relevant to determining the eligibility of an individual to vote in elections for Federal office shall, not later than 24 hours after receipt of such request, provide the official with such information as may be necessary to enable the official to verify that an applicant for voter registration in elections for Federal office held in the State or a registrant on the official list of eligible voters in elections for Federal office held in the State is a citizen of the United States, which shall include providing the official with such batched information as may be requested by the official.

SAVE ACT: Section 2. (a)

A certified birth certificate issued by a State, a unit of local government in a State, or a Tribal government which—

‘‘(i) was issued by the State, unit of local government, or Tribal government in which the applicant was born;

‘‘(ii) was filed with the office responsible for keeping vital records in the State;

‘‘(iii) includes the full name, date of birth, and place of birth of the applicant;

‘‘(iv) lists the full names of one or both of the parents of the applicant;

‘‘(v) has the signature of an individual who is authorized to sign birth certificates on behalf of the State, unit of local government, or Tribal government in which the applicant was born;

‘‘(vi) includes the date that the certificate was filed with the office responsible for keeping vital records in the State; and

‘‘(vii) has the seal of the State, unit of local government, or Tribal government that issued the birth certificate.

   Event

Additional Paperwork needed

  Getting married

Marriage license(s)

  Getting divorced

Divorce decree(s)

  Being adopted – incl. via parents’ divorce

Adoption decree(s) (see note 4 below)

Divorce decree(s), Marriage license(s)

  Changing your name for any other reason

Legal Name Change decree

May 20, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and California’s former Secretary of State, blocked Senator Mike Lee’s (R-Utah) attempts to unanimously pass theSafeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would lead to the disenfranchisement of millions of eligible American citizens if passed. Padilla blasted the overly burdensome documentation requirements in the SAVE Act, which would make registration harder for new voters, married women, rural voters, servicemembers, communities of color, and the tens of millions of Americans who register to vote online or by mail.

Lee’s harmful proposal came in response to Senator Padilla’s attempt to pass the Including New Voters In The Electorate (INVITE) Act by unanimous consent to improve voter registration services at naturalization ceremonies. In responding to Lee’s objection, Padilla emphasized that Congress should try to make voting easier for eligible American citizens, not harder. He also debunked misinformation about widespread voter fraud, highlighting that voter fraud is extremely rare.

A review of the 2016 general election found that only 0.0001 percent of votes came from improper noncitizen voting among the jurisdictions reviewed.

Key Excerpts:

• “It is a solution in search of a problem. Audit after audit, review after review, investigation after investigation, has demonstrated that the instances of ineligible immigrants voting in elections is exceedingly, exceedingly, exceedingly rare, which again, means our current laws are working.”

• “To suggest that birth certificates be required for a certain task when it’s already secure — I don’t make it a habit of walking around with my birth certificate in my pocket. A passport’s another acceptable form of documentation for citizenship. Half the American public doesn’t have a current valid passport because not everybody travels abroad on a regular basis. So they’re unnecessary. Our current laws are working, and therefore I object.”

Padilla has led the charge opposing President Trump and Republicans’ reckless attempts to restrict the right to vote. Last week, he convened a Rules Committee Democrats spotlight hearing focused on Congressional Republicans’ SAVE Act and Trump’s illegal anti-voter executive order,  both of which threaten to disenfranchise millions of eligible American citizens. As President Trump marked 100 disastrous days in office, Padilla led his Democratic colleagues on the Senate floor to speak out against theS AVE Act and the Trump Administration’s attacks on election integrity. Last month, Padilla warned Secretaries of State, Lieutenant Governors, and Chief Election Officials across the country of the devastating potential impacts of the SAVE Act, concerns that have been echoed by top election officials across the country. Padilla also recently led a letter sounding the alarm on the devastating impacts of the SAVE Act and Trump’s illegal anti-voter executive order on Native American voting rights.

Video of Senator Padilla’s objection to the passage of the SAVE Act is available here.

Take Action Now!

Here are 3 things you can do right now to help in the fight against the SAVE Act.

  1. Contact Your Senators

California has two Senators, both of whom are opposed to the SAVE Act.

That doesn’t mean they don’t need to hear from you. Every fighter needs encouragement.

Call and email our Senators:

• tell them how much you support their efforts to defeat the SAVE Act
• Repeat OFTEN!

If you need help with words, Click Here to go to a Take-Action page on the LWV-US site with an editable email that LWV will send your email for you.

  2. Find Your Citizenship Paperwork

  Learn for yourself what an impact this bill will have if passed and signed into law.

• If you have a current US Passport, congratulations. Make sure it’s in a safe and accessible place.
  
  
• If you don’t have a Passport, figure out exactly what you’ll need to prove your citizenship, and start bringing it together. It may take a lot longer (and cost a lot more) than you think.
  
  
• Help friends and family organize their citizenship paperwork

  3. Tell Your Friends

• Talk about the SAVE Act
  • For talking points Check LWVUS  .
• Forward this email
• Share in your social media
• Put into links in your group chats
• Forward some key links:
  • Text of the SAVE Act
  • Text of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996
  • Text of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993
  • Statement from California Secretary of State
  • Your local LWVCS website: www.lwvcs.org