The bill would require anyone registering to vote to provide proof of citizenship—a valid U.S. passport, or a photo ID presented with a certified birth certificate.
This presents a pretty big problem for a large group of people: women, especially married women who have changed their name, a group that numbers over 69 million. If the SAVE Act becomes law, any time one of those millions of women goes to register to vote for the first time or change their voter registration—maybe they moved to a new address—they could be turned away if the names on their identification and birth certificate don’t match.
If you have any doubts about the intent behind this rights-robbing bill just look at the men behind it.
First off, there’s Peter Thiel: billionaire MAGA donor, sugar daddy of JD Vance and a notable Trump ally. In 2009, Thiel said “the extension of the franchise to women” turned democracy into a joke.
Then, there’s Mark Thompson, a GOP-endorsed North Carolina candidate for governor in 2024, who has publicly called for a return to the days when women couldn’t vote.
This attitude is pretty prevalent here for some reason:
==Sent from my iPhone
The closest we have to a national ID is a passport. However, there are new ID requirements for something called a Real ID. It’s basically an enhanced driver’s license / state ID that complies with federal standards. When I got mine last year, I don’t think the process was any different from renewing my old-style driver’s license. The only noticeable difference is they gave me a black and white printout temporary ID to use for the two weeks it took to receive the ID card in the mail.
The weirdest thing about it, though, is that it looks crappier and cheaper than the old “insecure” driver’s license I had before.
My question to the rest of the world: Are y’all this obsessed with birth certificates? I feel like it’s ridiculous here.
Never heard of anyone in the Netherlands ever needing a birth certificate for anything.