Congress Must Not Make It Harder For Native Citizens To Vote

Opinion

This past week, House Republicans slipped the SAVE America Act — officially known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act —into a continuing resolution bill. By a vote of 216-214, the House passed H. Con. Res. 113, the initial procedural resolution to proceed with the budget reconciliation bill. 

The resolution outlines $95 billion in new spending, including $10 billion to advance elements of the anti-voter SAVE America Act. 

House Republicans inserted the measure into the legislation after President Donald Trump pressed Congress to pass the SAVE America Act before the upcoming midterm elections. As part of his pressure campaign, Trump declined to sign the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act last month, despite broad bipartisan support. After 10 days, the measure became law without his signature. 

If enacted, the SAVE America Act would change voter eligibility and registration requirements for federal elections. It would require individuals registering to vote in federal elections to provide documents to prove U.S. citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate. 

Supporters argue the measure would strengthen election security. Critics, however, say the bill creates unnecessary barriers for eligible voters and would disproportionately impact communities that already face challenges accessing government-issued documentation.

For Native voters, those concerns are particularly significant.

Under the legislation as currently written, tribal identification cards may not satisfy the documentation requirements because many tribal IDs do not include information such as place of birth. As a result, some Native voters could be required to obtain additional documents, such as birth certificates or passports, before registering to vote.

That requirement could create serious obstacles for tribal citizens living in rural and remote communities. Many Native people must travel long distances to access government offices that provide vital records. In some communities, obtaining a birth certificate may require taking time away from work, arranging transportation, and traveling hours — or even farther — to reach the appropriate office.

Passports, another accepted form of documentation under the proposal, can also be costly and generally require a certified birth certificate or other supporting documents to obtain.

The issue is not simply about paperwork. For many tribal citizens, it is about access to a fundamental right: the ability to participate in elections.

For generations, Native Americans have faced barriers to political participation. Although Congress granted U.S. citizenship to Native Americans through the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, many states continued to prevent Native citizens from voting through discriminatory laws and practices for decades. Tribal nations and Native advocates later fought for protections under the Voting Rights Act to address barriers that restricted access to the ballot box.

Native voting advocates argue that the SAVE Act could create new obstacles for communities that have historically experienced voter suppression.

The Native American Rights Fund (NARF) has raised concerns that proof-of-citizenship requirements could disproportionately affect American Indian and Alaska Native voters, particularly those who lack easy access to required documents. NARF has pointed to previous state-level proof-of-citizenship efforts as examples of how such requirements can affect voter registration.

The debate also raises questions about tribal sovereignty. Tribal identification cards are issued by sovereign tribal governments and serve as official forms of identification for many purposes. Native leaders argue that failing to recognize tribal IDs for voter registration purposes diminishes the authority of tribal governments and creates additional barriers for tribal citizens.

Native voting organizations, including Four Directions Native Vote, have also voiced opposition to the legislation.

“The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act currently in Congress is highly dangerous legislation,” OJ Semans, co-executive director of Four Directions, told Native News Online. “The requirements within the bill would annihilate the Native vote turnout all across America within and without Indian Country.”

The SAVE Act remains part of a larger national debate over election security, voter access, and the balance between preventing fraud and ensuring eligible citizens can participate in democracy.

For Native communities, the discussion carries additional weight. After decades of fighting for recognition and access to the ballot box, tribal leaders say any changes to voting laws must consider the unique realities of Indian Country and protect the ability of Native citizens to make their voices heard.

While Senate Majority Leader, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), who personally supports the SAVE America Act, has also said the measure faces an uncertain path in the Senate. 

Thune has also said the legislation currently lacks the support needed to overcome the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster threshold. 

It should stay that way. Legislation that makes it harder for eligible Native citizens to register and vote does not strengthen American democracy. It weakens it by placing new barriers before communities that have spent generations fighting for equal access to the ballot box.

Thayék gde nwéndëmen – We are all related.

Related