WASHINGTON – Congress is weighing legislation that would impose strict new proof-of-citizenship requirements to vote, a measure critics warn could prevent millions of eligible Americans from casting ballots, including women who changed their names after marriage.
The SAVE America Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week in a mostly party-line 218-213 vote. It had support from all Ohio Republicans, who regarded its requirements as commonsense election security, and opposition from Ohio Democrats who condemned it as thinly disguised voter suppression.
Critics say the measure should be particularly alarming for the estimated 70 million American women who changed their names after marriage, as it would make it harder for them to prove they are U.S. citizens for voting purposes because their birth certificates no longer match their names. Voting rights advocates warn the legislation is part of a broader Republican push to reshape the electorate ahead of November’s midterm elections, where control of Congress is at stake…