Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton warned women about a just-passed House bill that she says could make it harder for them to vote.
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act — passed Thursday in a 220-208 vote in the House — would require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections and impose voter roll purge requirements on states.
Clinton, the first woman to lead a major party’s presidential ticket, said the bill could effectively disenfranchise women whose married names don’t match the names on their birth certificates.
“The House just passed the Republican voter suppression measure that threatens voting access for millions of Americans, including 69 million women whose married names don’t match their birth certificates,” Clinton, former secretary of State, wrote on X Thursday.
“Make sure your senators know you expect them to stand against it,” she added.
Ahead of Thursday’s House vote, Clinton posted a similar message, urging women to call their House representatives and encourage them to vote against the bill.
She attached a graphic showing the estimated number of female citizens ages 15 and older in each state whose names don’t match their birth certificates “due to last name change or hyphenation upon marriage.”
“Are you a woman who changed your name when you got married? Congress is considering a bill that could make it much harder for you to vote. Call your rep—this is not a drill,” she wrote Wednesday.
Republicans have argued that the bill is necessary to ensure only citizens vote and to restore confidence in the integrity of the elections.
Democrats have argued the bill is a misguided effort to ban an already illegal practice and will just make it tougher for Americans to vote, including scores of people who don’t readily have proof of citizenship.
The bill would accept as proof of citizenship a certified birth certificate, alongside a government-issued photo ID. It would also accept a U.S. passport as proof of citizenship. Some Democrats have noted that nearly half of Americans do not have a U.S. passport, which costs more than $100.