Levitt denies SAVE America Act will hinder married women from voting
Caroline Levitt dismissed concerns about the SAVE America Act, saying claims that it would make it harder for married women to vote have “zero validity.”
White House press secretary Caroline Levitt said there is “zero validity” to concerns that the SAVE Act would make it harder for married women to vote, despite claims to the contrary by the bill’s critics.
“For married women who have changed their names and are already registered to vote, they are not affected by the SAVE Act in any way,” Levitt said at a March 10 White House press briefing.
The SAVE America Act, if passed, would require Americans to show proof of citizenship to register to vote and to show identification to vote.
The bill passed the House last month but has since stalled in the Senate. President Donald Trump, a longtime supporter of the bill, said this week that he would not sign the bill until Congress passes the SAVE Act.
Republicans say the SAVE Act is necessary to protect elections, but Democrats and voting rights advocates say the bill would disenfranchise millions of Americans, including married women, by making it harder to register and vote.
Caroline Leavitt slams Democrats when asked about married women and the SAVE Act
Asked if the SAVE Act would make it harder for married women to vote, Levitt called that concern a “huge myth” and slammed Democrats.
“The SAVE America Act does not prohibit anyone from voting, except for people in the United States illegally,” Levitt said. “And the biggest way to disenfranchise American citizens from voting in American elections is to allow illegal aliens to vote, and that’s what Democrats want.”
Watch Leavitt’s reaction in the video at the top of this article.
According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, it is already illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections, and data shows non-citizens rarely vote in elections.
Levitt said there is “zero validity” to concerns that the SAVE Act would affect married women trying to vote. But she also acknowledged that the law would create additional steps for people who have changed their names, such as married women, to prove their citizenship in order to vote.
“For the small number of individuals who have changed their name or address, they can still register to vote. Of course, all they have to do is go through the state process and update their documents,” Levitt said, adding that Americans “already do that every day.”
How will the SAVE Act affect married women’s votes?
Under current law, many Americans must show some form of identification to register to vote. Among other things, the SAVE Act would require Americans to present proof of citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate, when registering to vote.
This means married women who change their last name will need to present citizenship documents that match their current legal name.
According to the League of Women Voters and the Brennan Center for Justice, the bill could add new barriers to voter registration for many married women and others who have changed their names because their passports and birth certificates may reflect their former legal names.
According to a study by the Brennan Center for Justice, 9 percent of Americans, or more than 21 million people (including those without a passport or a paper copy of their birth certificate), do not have these documents readily available.
Contributor: Katherine Palmer, USA TODAY
Melina Khan is USA TODAY’s national trends reporter. Contact her at melina.khan@usatoday.com.
