On February 11, 2026, the House of Representatives took a Senate-passed bipartisan
veterans bill, stripped its content, and used it as a vehicle to pass the Safeguard American
Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act by a vote of 218 to 213 (usw.to/5kn). Senate Majority Leader
Thune has announced that the Senate will take up the SAVE Act this week.

The SAVE Act would require people to show documents like a passport or birth certificate to
register to vote or update their registration, which an estimated 21 million eligible voters do
not have easy access to, putting their freedom to vote at risk.
These new requirements would disproportionately impact working-class and lower-income
Americans, including rural voters, naturalized citizens, and young voters. Many would face
additional costs, paperwork barriers, or delays that could prevent them from registering or
staying registered.

• Communities of color are especially impacted due to longstanding barriers to
  accessing official records, including historical gaps in birth registration, higher costs to
  replace documents, and limited access to government offices.
• Requirements under the SAVE Act would disproportionately impact women,
  particularly those who have changed their names due to marriage or divorce, as
  mismatched documents, added costs, time off work, and bureaucratic hurdles to
  update records could prevent eligible voters from registering or casting a ballot.
• Retirees and seniors would be disproportionately impacted, as many may lack access
  to original citizenship documents and face barriers such as mobility challenges,
  medical conditions, transportation issues, and the difficulty of obtaining or replacing
  paperwork.
  USW believes that every election should be secure and every eligible voter deserves a fair
  and equal voice at the ballot box. However, the SAVE Act would create unnecessary
  barriers that could silence millions of working people and weaken our democracy.
  
• Later this week, Rapid Response will call on USW members to take
  action by urging their U.S. Senators to oppose the SAVE Act.