The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act is now before the U.S. Senate after narrowly passing the House in April of last year. The bill would require in-person proof of citizenship to register to vote.
Voting rights advocates called it unnecessary and discriminatory, warning it would end online and mail registration and disenfranchise millions of eligible voters.
Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., opposes the proposal and said she will push to restore the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which requires federal review of election law changes in places with a history of discrimination.
"To protect every American's right to vote in this country and to pass the Freedom to Vote Act," Stevens emphasized. "This is going to ensure that every American can have their voice heard and their vote counted."
Supporters of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act argued the measure is needed to protect election integrity, saying requiring in-person proof of citizenship would help prevent noncitizens from registering to vote and restore public confidence in U.S. elections.
Brian Lemek, founder and executive director of the advocacy group Defend the Vote, said the requirement to present a passport or birth certificate could hit Michiganders especially hard.
"Sixty percent of Michigan residents, they don't have a passport – that's like 5 or 6 million people – and more than two million women in Michigan don't have a birth certificate that matches their married name, so they wouldn't be eligible to vote," Lemek outlined. "Across the country we're going to see tens of millions of people that don't have the documents required."
Backers of the measure contended the bill sets a clear, uniform national standard, making voter registration more transparent and easier to verify.
