President Donald Trump has made passing the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act a top priority before the midterms but supporters of safe and fair elections in the Silver State said it would be a disaster for democracy.
The bill, which purports to combat noncitizen voting, would make it much harder to register to vote. It passed the U.S. House but is stalled in the Senate.
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., said the bill also directs the states to turn their voter lists over to the federal government.
"It gives the Department of Homeland Security information about our voter rolls that the department has been trying to get across this country for the last several months," Cortez Masto explained. "Because they want to be able to go through those voter rolls and decide for themselves who's eligible to vote and who's not.
In a recent social media post, Trump reiterated calls for severe restrictions on mail-in voting, claiming elections are rigged. Nevada mails a ballot to all registered voters, and state data show 45% returned them via mail in the 2024 primary. The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act would require people who want to register to vote or update their registration to present either a birth certificate or a passport in person at the county elections office.
Lisa Lynn Chapman, research manager for the advocacy group Battle Born Progress, said the in-person requirement would be a big barrier for people with mobility issues.
"This is very personal to me," Chapman explained. "I can't walk for long distances, nor can I stand for more than about two minutes. It makes it almost impossible for me to be able to vote because I can't stand in those lines."
Trump also wants people to have to present a photo ID when they vote and in most states, a driver’s license, real ID or student ID would not be sufficient.
Kerry Durmick, Nevada state director for the nonprofit All Voting is Local Action, said the expense and hassle of getting a passport or birth certificate would keep a lot of people from the polls.
"Half of American citizens do not have a passport," Durmick pointed out. "There are also 69 million women who don't have a birth certificate that matches their current legal name, and there are more than 21 million citizens who don't have either of these documents readily available."
Trump also issued an executive order directing the Postal Service to send mail-in ballots only to people on a new, nationally approved voter list. Nevada’s Attorney General Aaron Ford has refused to turn over the data and the issue is now in court.
Nevada pro-democracy groups condemn SAVE Act was originally published by the Public News Service and is republished with permission.
Suzanne Potter is a journalist with 30 years of experience as a reporter for TV, radio and print news.
