Given the financial burden, it seems to me the SAVE Act would likely be challenged in court and likely be ruled unconstitutional. But we are right to be concerned, although I would hold off on the panic. (There's way too much — understandable — panic on the left these days). And yes, that would impact not-adopted, never-married me. I simply changed my name in high school, and have used that name forever. We found it was legally my name if I used it regularly without attempt to defraud or hide my identity. So I never did any paperwork until I had a government job in 2012 (ironically, with my local board of elections) and there were some issues with my name.
You will need to present your court document for the name change under the SAVE Act. And anyone who uses another name routinely - however legally - would be well advised to get the court document verifying that they use that name without intent to commit fraud etc. When I changed my name '83 to the name I used professionally, I did it by court order precisely in order to avoid future issues and so I could get my passport and other legal docs to match. However I did not change my birth certificate as at that time it was not possible. So we shall see.
More typical Republican bullshit to try to make voting unobtainable for many, especially women. They will try anything to stifle voters because they would never win on the own or without placing so many barriers for fair voting laws. They deserve to lose and soon !
My husband AND I smashed our names together to create a last name never used before- anywhere or by anywho. There is no way to get an actual certified birth certificate for my husband from Germany. We would have to travel to Germany with his old expired passports to get it.
In order to gain US citizenship your husband would likely have had to submit a certified copy of his birth certificate. Hopefully you still have a scan/copy.photo of that. Another good thing to do is to get court orders for the name changes - usually a simple procedure in most states, tho I have to say I did mine 40+ years ago so no idea what it is like now. Good luck!
Thank you Melissa and Dana - 1. for sharing your stories. 2. WE THE PEOPLE need to know the facts about The SAVE Act. It does not protect people's right to vote, it suppresses our right to vote. Unfortunately, the name is so misleading. 🤬
trump doesn't have the right to vote he has 34 felony convictions, any person with one felony conviction loses the right to vote, own a gun or be in presence of someone with a gun not even a single bullet overlooked. Nor the right to obtain a passport, associate with other felons for their lifetime. He, his family and administration are the worst human beings that have become filthy rich off of America, us the citizens. It just doesn't make sense that our neighbors or friends that go to same church, kids go to same schools voted and still support this parasite. Maybe if he were so utterly ugly, mishapen, sloppy, fat, lazy being with a wife he paid for both beady eyes cold calculating crooks. It might be easier if he wasn't so ugly both with the awful voices and I cannot understand why they say she's beautiful. Because she's not by any standard. It's like we're living in a nightmare, alter reality. Certainly not the democracy not even the American dream just are no longer.
So much evil going on within our government, it is not surprising but truly something that men and women in suits and pumps are basically doing nothing but sabotaging the very people that put them in office. Clownish behavior at its best. 🙏🏿🙏🏿
Another group they are likely targeting is ex-pat/overseas voters, including the military. (The tend to vote Dem and absentee votes can be up to 5% of the ballot, so they can swing elections.) It can be difficult to access docs from abroad or while on military assignment. Also can't just pop over to a state office for a few minutes. I am guessing the next move will be to make passport renewal difficult for ex-pats for similar reasons.
I’m confused. My understanding of the SAVE Act is that you can use a REAL ID, a passport, or a birth certificate (if you don’t have either of the other two forms of ID) to vote in federal elections. Your explanation is not clear on this point. You do say that the SAVE Act will only apply to NEW voter registrations. Is that correct? For adoptees, would that not also affect MEN???? Do they realize this? Of course, this SAVE Act should be deemed unconstitutional. How can they discriminate against one half of the population - women - who may have changed their names through marriage??? They made us take our husbands’ names in the first place! It’s a new poll tax.
The real issue is that people don’t understand what the SAVE Act does! It sounds perfectly innocent that we show voter ID at the polls. We’ve been doing that forever!!!! But, now, the kinds of IDS and how they make it more difficult for women never comes up!!!! Our efforts should be to educate women as fast as possible!!! It needs to be carefully explained in a simple way. Thank you for your efforts. I want to make sure that I understand what will be allowed, and for whom I need to be fighting!!!
REAL ID doesn't show citizenship except in a handful of states. For most it only proves you are a legal resident which includes green card holders. An unexpired passport does suffice but half of Americans don't have a passport. A birth certificate works if it meets 7 criteria and it shows place of birth in the United States. So it doesn't work if you are someone like myself who was born overseas of American parents. I breakdown the proof of citizenship requirements in my post: https://open.substack.com/pub/crewdog/p/basement-dispatches-the-save-act?r=emno3&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Bottomline: 20 million Americans don't have access to the documents they would need to vote. Republicans would rather a 1,000 Americans be disenfranchised than allow 1 non-citizen to vote.
Strangely, the SAVE Act does not expressly give a married woman who has changed her name an option to use a birth certificate and a connecting document such as a marriage certificate. Instead it directs the states to determine how to handle cases where the individual lacks the necessary documentation.
Given the financial burden, it seems to me the SAVE Act would likely be challenged in court and likely be ruled unconstitutional. But we are right to be concerned, although I would hold off on the panic. (There's way too much — understandable — panic on the left these days). And yes, that would impact not-adopted, never-married me. I simply changed my name in high school, and have used that name forever. We found it was legally my name if I used it regularly without attempt to defraud or hide my identity. So I never did any paperwork until I had a government job in 2012 (ironically, with my local board of elections) and there were some issues with my name.
You will need to present your court document for the name change under the SAVE Act. And anyone who uses another name routinely - however legally - would be well advised to get the court document verifying that they use that name without intent to commit fraud etc. When I changed my name '83 to the name I used professionally, I did it by court order precisely in order to avoid future issues and so I could get my passport and other legal docs to match. However I did not change my birth certificate as at that time it was not possible. So we shall see.
14 states have no voter ID requirements. There is no voter fraud.
You and I know that, the state of Georgia knows that but the Trump administration doesn't accept it.
I called my Senators and Representative to voice my opposition to these proposed pieces of legislation. #5Calls
More typical Republican bullshit to try to make voting unobtainable for many, especially women. They will try anything to stifle voters because they would never win on the own or without placing so many barriers for fair voting laws. They deserve to lose and soon !
My husband AND I smashed our names together to create a last name never used before- anywhere or by anywho. There is no way to get an actual certified birth certificate for my husband from Germany. We would have to travel to Germany with his old expired passports to get it.
I love when couples do this.
And ugh, that’s complicated. I hope it all works out for you two.
In order to gain US citizenship your husband would likely have had to submit a certified copy of his birth certificate. Hopefully you still have a scan/copy.photo of that. Another good thing to do is to get court orders for the name changes - usually a simple procedure in most states, tho I have to say I did mine 40+ years ago so no idea what it is like now. Good luck!
He has his citizenship thankfully as of 2023
I dissect the proof of citizenship requirements in this post. https://open.substack.com/pub/crewdog/p/basement-dispatches-the-save-act?r=emno3&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Thank you Melissa and Dana - 1. for sharing your stories. 2. WE THE PEOPLE need to know the facts about The SAVE Act. It does not protect people's right to vote, it suppresses our right to vote. Unfortunately, the name is so misleading. 🤬
What will it take to shut this rubbish down?
trump doesn't have the right to vote he has 34 felony convictions, any person with one felony conviction loses the right to vote, own a gun or be in presence of someone with a gun not even a single bullet overlooked. Nor the right to obtain a passport, associate with other felons for their lifetime. He, his family and administration are the worst human beings that have become filthy rich off of America, us the citizens. It just doesn't make sense that our neighbors or friends that go to same church, kids go to same schools voted and still support this parasite. Maybe if he were so utterly ugly, mishapen, sloppy, fat, lazy being with a wife he paid for both beady eyes cold calculating crooks. It might be easier if he wasn't so ugly both with the awful voices and I cannot understand why they say she's beautiful. Because she's not by any standard. It's like we're living in a nightmare, alter reality. Certainly not the democracy not even the American dream just are no longer.
So much evil going on within our government, it is not surprising but truly something that men and women in suits and pumps are basically doing nothing but sabotaging the very people that put them in office. Clownish behavior at its best. 🙏🏿🙏🏿
I also understand passports and RealID are valid in this act. Please clarify.
Otherwise excellent reporting. Thanks
Another group they are likely targeting is ex-pat/overseas voters, including the military. (The tend to vote Dem and absentee votes can be up to 5% of the ballot, so they can swing elections.) It can be difficult to access docs from abroad or while on military assignment. Also can't just pop over to a state office for a few minutes. I am guessing the next move will be to make passport renewal difficult for ex-pats for similar reasons.
I’m confused. My understanding of the SAVE Act is that you can use a REAL ID, a passport, or a birth certificate (if you don’t have either of the other two forms of ID) to vote in federal elections. Your explanation is not clear on this point. You do say that the SAVE Act will only apply to NEW voter registrations. Is that correct? For adoptees, would that not also affect MEN???? Do they realize this? Of course, this SAVE Act should be deemed unconstitutional. How can they discriminate against one half of the population - women - who may have changed their names through marriage??? They made us take our husbands’ names in the first place! It’s a new poll tax.
The real issue is that people don’t understand what the SAVE Act does! It sounds perfectly innocent that we show voter ID at the polls. We’ve been doing that forever!!!! But, now, the kinds of IDS and how they make it more difficult for women never comes up!!!! Our efforts should be to educate women as fast as possible!!! It needs to be carefully explained in a simple way. Thank you for your efforts. I want to make sure that I understand what will be allowed, and for whom I need to be fighting!!!
REAL ID doesn't show citizenship except in a handful of states. For most it only proves you are a legal resident which includes green card holders. An unexpired passport does suffice but half of Americans don't have a passport. A birth certificate works if it meets 7 criteria and it shows place of birth in the United States. So it doesn't work if you are someone like myself who was born overseas of American parents. I breakdown the proof of citizenship requirements in my post: https://open.substack.com/pub/crewdog/p/basement-dispatches-the-save-act?r=emno3&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Bottomline: 20 million Americans don't have access to the documents they would need to vote. Republicans would rather a 1,000 Americans be disenfranchised than allow 1 non-citizen to vote.
Strangely, the SAVE Act does not expressly give a married woman who has changed her name an option to use a birth certificate and a connecting document such as a marriage certificate. Instead it directs the states to determine how to handle cases where the individual lacks the necessary documentation.
Oh gosh, that’s even worse…
Wait until you see their Encore... the Make Elections Great Again (MEGA) act. It is much worse.