For many women, voting could become more complicated under the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. Stricter ID requirements could create hurdles for those with name changes due to marriage, because their legal name does not match their birth certificate.  

If the SAVE Act passes, it would require every American citizen to prove their citizen status when registering to vote. Documents that provide such information are birth certificates and passports. Most married women take their husband’s last name and do not have a birth certificate that matches their married, legal name.  

“It’s going to create a lot of additional steps in the voting process for everyone, but in particular with women.” Jenny Miller, a political science professor at WSC said. “Legal name changes related to marriage introduces a lot of confusion, since your birth certificate won’t line up with what your ID says.”   

The SAVE Act was previously introduced to the House of Representatives back in the summer of 2024 and was passed by the House. It did not advance any further and was stalled in the Senate. In January of 2025, the SAVE act was reintroduced in the House and is currently under consideration.  

“It actually was proposed before this point in time, and it didn’t make it through the Senate before. I don’t have any reason, to my knowledge, to expect that it would be any different this time around,” Miller said.   

Supporters of the SAVE Act argue that it will prevent voter fraud, but experts say there is little evidence of such widespread fraud. Meanwhile, stricter requirements could make it harder for millions of women to vote, despite no clear need for such a change.  

“I don’t think there is significant or substantial evidence to show that voter fraud is an extensive problem,” Miller said.  

This act would also effect how women vote. Millions of women rely on mail-in voting due to living in rural areas or just for the convenience. Under this act, women would no longer be able to vote by mail without first completing in-person registration with the correct documentation, creating additional hurdles that could make voting less accessible.  

“As a woman who will hopefully get married, this act scares me, as it will make it harder to vote if I change my last name as many women do when they get married,” Reagan Fries, a young female voter on campus, said. “Not having a matching birth certificate to my married name would not only make it challenging for me to vote, but also make it difficult for other married women to vote as well,” Before forming an opinion on the SAVE Act, young women voters should take the time to understand how it could impact them personally. With discussions surrounding the bill often fueled by politics, it’s important to seek out accurate, diverse sources of information before making a judgment.  

“I want women and everyone to read multiple sources of information on this, take in information from different perspectives,” Miller said. “Take a step back, take a breath, and know that there is good information out there and you may not have all the answers to your questions right now.”