The MEGA and SAVE Acts Threaten Voter Access, Not Election Integrity

by Susan Edstrom, New Auburn, WI
Published in the Leader Telegram

Rep. Tom Tiffany and other Republican lawmakers are pushing the Make Elections Great Again (MEGA) and SAVE Acts, legislation that would impose new “show your papers” requirements for voter registration. This effort is not about protecting election integrity—it is about restricting voter access based on a problem that doesn’t exist. Election fraud in the United States is exceedingly rare; the Heritage Foundation has identified fewer than 70 proven cases of noncitizens voting over the past 40 years.

Despite this, the bills would require Americans to present documents such as a passport or birth certificate simply to register to vote. The Brennan Center for Justice reports that more than 21 million U.S. citizens lack ready access to these documents. About half of Americans do not have a passport, millions do not possess a paper copy of their birth certificate, and millions who changed their names after marriage face mismatches between their legal name and their birth certificate.

The legislation would also tighten photo ID requirements at the polls, including prohibiting use of student IDs. These provisions would disproportionately burden young voters, people with disabilities, and Black and Hispanic citizens.

Noncitizen voting is already illegal. The MEGA and SAVE Acts would not make elections safer—they would make them less accessible. Democracy is strengthened when voting is easier, not harder, and this legislation does the opposite.