Minnesota Report
SAINT PAUL – On April 10, 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the U.S. Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act commonly known as the SAVE Act.
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon issued the following statement:
“The SAVE Act would cause unprecedented chaos in the U.S. election system – preventing millions of Americans from voting, slowing or stopping work in elections offices, and threatening election workers with criminal prosecution.
Fundamentally, the SAVE Act would change how Americans register to vote. It would require American citizens to go in person to a local election office to prove citizenship. For some, they may be able to show their passport. For others, they may need a birth certificate and a matching photo ID. These requirements would cost Americans time and money. This extra effort could very well lead to American citizens deciding it is just not worth it to vote.
This legislation especially harms people who have changed their names since birth, members of our military, rural Americans, students, those experiencing poverty, and survivors of domestic violence or natural disasters. These are all groups of people who are more likely to need to repeatedly register to vote and are less likely to have up-to-date and official citizenship documentation in their possession – and the time and money to obtain the proper records and provide them to an election official.
Further, changes under the SAVE Act would be effective immediately. This would be disastrous for state and local election officials who would be forced to rework complicated election systems without the necessary time or resources to enact such wide sweeping changes. More disturbingly, the SAVE Act adds new civil and criminal penalties for election workers who would be left navigating these changes without support, guidance, or resources needed from the federal government.
Ultimately, the SAVE Act would upend the authority of states to conduct free and fair elections. As a defender of the freedom to vote, I strongly encourage the U.S. Senate to reject this proposal.”