Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- The SAVE Act would require proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration, raising concerns.
- Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson and others criticize the bill as impractical and problematic.
- Protesters urge Utahns to oppose the bill, fearing it complicates voting for many.
SALT LAKE CITY — A bill making its way through Congress would require anyone registering to vote to provide proof of U.S. citizenship, something advocates in Utah said could make it harder for married women and others to vote.
Utah's top elections official doesn't like the SAVE Act, either. Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson told KSL in a statement Monday the bill is "problematic and impractical on almost all points except its talking points."
Fears about voter fraud are at the heart of the legislation, which passed the U.S. House last week and awaits a vote in the Senate. Critics said the bill could make registering to vote difficult or downright impossible for many married women, transgender Utahns and anyone else who's legally changed their name from how it's written on their birth certificates.
Advocates, lawmakers and others joined in protest Monday at the state Capitol, urging Utahns to write U.S. senators Mike Lee and John Curtis and urge them to oppose the bill, a priority of President Donald Trump.
"The SAVE Act does not save anything," state Rep. Verona Mauga, D-Salt Lake County, said to loud applause from around 50 attendees. "It silences, and we will not be silenced."
In her statement to KSL, Henderson did not say how the change could affect Utahns' access to registering to vote, but did say she's not the only state election officer who takes issue with it. Henderson said she and multiple Republican secretaries of state have spoken up about their concerns with parts of the bill.
"For example, rather than threaten election officials with jail time for something they have no control over, let's give them better access to the tools they need to properly identify citizenship," Henderson said.
The change is backed by Sen. Mike Lee, who said in a recent post on the social platform X, "Stop noncitizen voting. Pass the SAVE Act." Although voter fraud remains rare, House Republicans have said any instance is unacceptable.
Supporters of the legislation said it allows states to choose how they want to verify citizenship, such as requiring extra documentation like a marriage certificate.
"The Democrats have been fear-mongering about this bill, have been saying that married women, if their name has changed, they didn't change it on their identification, would not be able to vote," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters last week. "That is complete fallacy. There are outline in the bill about how to avoid that."
Passports are another way to prove U.S. citizenship, but at the Utah Capitol Monday, protesters pointed out that not everyone has or can afford one.
"I feel really concerned for how they will be able to access their voting rights when they go to the polls with a birth certificate and their name doesn't match," said Maureen Hefti, of Eden. "We shouldn't be doing this kind of thing at any level."
