To the editor:

Republicans in Congress are prioritizing the SAVE Act to amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 by requiring individuals to provide proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. It is a solution looking for a problem that will — as intended — create additional roadblocks for many Americans seeking to vote in federal elections.

Citizenship is already a requirement to vote. There is no evidence suggesting that non-citizen voting is a significant problem. In 2017, the Brennan Center for Justice looked at 42 jurisdictions in the 2016 election. It reported that of 23.5 million votes cast, election officials found only about 30 cases of potential noncitizen voting that they referred for prosecution or further investigation.

Proving citizenship is not easy for all potential voters. While the Act designates several documents acceptable to prove citizenship, many voters lack such documents or the ability to obtain them. A survey released in June 2024, spearheaded by the University of Maryland, revealed that one in 10 voting-age citizens cannot easily access documentary proof of citizenship and 4 million of them don’t even have these documents — such as a birth certificate, passport, naturalization certificate or a certificate of citizenship.

This disproportionately affects marginalized racial and ethnic groups, with people of color being less likely to possess or have access to these documents than their white counterparts. The SAVE Act is a smokescreen designed to support voting. It should not be allowed to become law.

Marty Bregman,

Lawrence