Kristi Noem champions 'SAVE Act' in voting debate, rejects 'disenfranchisement' claims as 'absurd'

WASHINGTON, DC: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Friday, February 13, defended the 'Safeguard American Voter Eligibility' (SAVE) Act, days after it passed the House of Representatives.

Speaking after meetings with Arizona election officials and lawmakers, Noem said that the legislation would strengthen election security through voter identification and citizenship verification requirements.

Her remarks came amid criticism from Democrats, including Hillary Clinton, who argued that the bill could create barriers for certain voters, including married women who have changed their names.

Kristi Noem calls 'SAVE Act' 'common sense' election reform

Noem said that the House-approved legislation introduced what she described as straightforward safeguards.

“Earlier this week, the House of Representatives passed the 'SAVE Act'. This is federal legislation that does some common-sense straightforward things,” she stated. 

“First of all, it requires a photo ID in order to vote in federal elections. It also requires proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. And it requires states to remove non-citizens from their voter rolls,” she added.

While acknowledging that states held primary responsibility for administering elections, Noem said that the federal government also had a role in supporting security efforts.

“Our job is to maintain our republic and make sure our elections are secure,” she said, referencing Benjamin Franklin’s statement that the United States “is a republic, if you can keep it.”

She said critics’ arguments about the bill harming eligible voters were misplaced, calling them "baseless accusations from the radical left."

Noem said, “Critics assert that the 'Save America Act' will somehow hurt American voters. That's just absurd and absolutely not true."

Addressing concerns about married women who have changed their names, she said, "One of the claims that they have made in criticizing this bill is that they say that newly married women would be disenfranchised because they've had a name change."

"Well, there are many women out there, including myself, who've been married and changed our names when we re-registered to vote," she stated.

Noem also said that the legislation would not eliminate existing voting procedures for military members stationed overseas and would not require a US passport to register.

“There is no room in our election system for people that aren’t Americans,” she said. “It’s common sense that our elections should belong to the American people.”

Hillary Clinton raises concerns over impact on married women

Opponents of the 'SAVE Act' have focused in part on how documentation requirements could affect voters whose current legal names differed from those on their birth certificates or citizenship documents. 

Clinton addressed the issue in a social media post, writing: “Are you one of nearly 70 million American women who changed their names when they got married? Republicans in Congress want to make it harder for you to vote. Tell your senator to oppose the SAVE Act.”

Supporters of the legislation maintained that voters would be able to use multiple forms of identification and documentation to establish citizenship and that states would continue managing their own voter rolls.

While critics argued that additional requirements could complicate the registration process for some eligible voters, the legislation is now headed to the Senate, where it is expected to face further debate.