To the editor:

The SAVE Act (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility) is being promoted again. Its stated goal is to ensure election integrity and prevent non-citizens from voting in federal elections.

That is already the law, and it is being enforced. Noncitizen voting has been a federal crime since 1996, carrying serious penalties including fines, imprisonment, and deportation.

Authorities investigate noncitizen registration and voting, which are rare. A recent Utah review of 2 million voters showed 99.9% are citizens, with only one non-citizen registered who never voted. These results refute the central claim of the SAVE Act – that many non-citizens undetected register to vote – a point often made by Republican lawmakers.

The House has passed several versions of the SAVE Act. Our U.S. House Representative, Tracey Mann, voted YES on the bill in July 2025; the vote was 220-208. An updated version was passed again in February 2026, and Rep. Mann voted YES again with votes of 218-213. The legislation has since stalled in the U.S. Senate because of its unpopularity with the public. I understand it does not have the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.

The Center for American Progress notes the SAVE Act would continue to make voting harder by:

1- Requires Americans to show specific documents, like a passport or birth certificate, when registering to vote. Passports cost $165, while birth certificates cost between $20 and $30.

2- In-person registration or updates are required, which would restrict mail-in and online registration, burdening military voters, tribal citizens, rural residents, disaster survivors, and married women who change their names.

Americans shouldn’t face more voting obstacles. Congress should restore the Voting Rights Act and implement reforms like Same-Day Registration, protections for voters with disabilities, and fund the Election Assistance Commission. To secure elections, legislators must invest in better equipment, more staff, and poll-worker training.

We must oppose this legislation and defend voting rights. The Senate will be on Capitol Hill next week. They will only have a couple of weeks to vote on the SAVE Act before they leave for the October recess, and they are expected to try. Please contact our Senators Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran and urge them to vote NO on the SAVE Act.

Janice Walker

League of Women Voters of Great Bend, Barton County