The U.S. Senate began debating the Safe Guard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE Act) this week. The bill would require voters to provide documents to prove their citizenship at the time of registration. U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) delivered remarks on the Senate floor on Wednesday where he railed against the bill.
In New Mexico, the REAL ID would need to be paired with an additional document of proof like a birth certificate in order to vote if the SAVE Act became law. Another option would be to use a passport, which according to the Center for American Progress, only 37% of New Mexicans had in 2024. These documents would have to be verified in person at an election office.
Heinrich said obtaining a passport will not be fast, easy or inexpensive.
“Requiring voters to purchase or renew a passport for $130 is a modern day poll tax. This is Jim Crow 2.0,” he said. “That's even assuming you can get yours in time to actually be able to use it to vote in this year's election.”
Much of the criticism comes from concerns by married women and trans people who have changed their legal names. A poll last year by Pew Research found a majority of Americans favor requiring voters to show government-issued photo IDs.
Heinrich said this is not a voter ID bill, but a voter suppression bill that would impact thousands of New Mexicans.
“All American citizens should have the same right to vote as the senators in this room, all American citizens deserve to hold the reins of this great democracy in their hands. So for those constituents, for all Americans, I say again, either we are all free or we fail,” he said.
President Trump said he won’t sign any other bills until the SAVE Act is passed, and he also wants to add even more provisions, including a ban on mail-in ballots, with exceptions.
If this law passes, these provisions would go into effect immediately, with eight months before the November midterm elections.
Support for this coverage comes from the Thornburg Foundation.
