“A good rule of thumb when looking at a Republican-drafted bill or campaign is that its name is directly the opposite of whatever it is meant to achieve. If there is something about ‘protecting women’ in the title, for example, then it’s probably actually about controlling women or bullying transgender people. The same is true of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (Save) Act, which would change the way US citizens register to vote. The purpose of the bill doesn’t seem to be to safeguard democracy but to help destroy it through stealth disenfranchisement.

“If it became law, the Save Act would require Americans to provide a birth certificate, passport, or other citizenship document to register or re-register to vote. Per one Brennan Center Study, more that 21 million American citizens, many of whom are engaged voters, do not have easy access to these documents. While just over 8% of self-identified white American citizens don’t have these documents readily available, the Brennan Center found the number is nearly 11% among Americans of color.

“Of course the Save Act isn’t being presented as a way for Republicans to sneakily sway the midterms in their favour as confidence in Trump dips. Rather, it’s being presented as a way to stop fraudulent voting. “[W]e all know, intuitively, that a lot of illegals are voting in federal elections,” house speaker Mike Johnson said during a press conference about the act when it was first introduced in May 2024. “But it’s not been something that is easily provable.” I think we all know, intuitively, that it’s not easily provable because that claim is nonsense.”