If the SAVE America Act now being debated in Congress becomes law, it would require many rural Nevada voters to drive great distances to register to vote, in person at their county seat.
A new analysis from the Center for American Progress shows, for example, that voters in parts of Nye County would have to drive more than four hours round-trip on a weekday, while voters in Clark, Elko, Humboldt, Lincoln and White Pine counties could have to drive between two and three-and-a-half hours.
Greta Bedekovics, director of democracy for the Center for American Progress, said this bill isn't just about showing identification at the polls.
"This bill asks people to either have a passport, pay $165 to get one, or to have an original certified copy of their birth certificate," she said. "This is really not voter ID, and it's critical that Americans understand that."
She said a Nevada driver’s license or even a Real ID would not be sufficient to register to vote.
Nevada is one of eight states to have universal mail-in voting – which is popular, especially in rural areas. A Republican amendment to the bill would ban mail-in voting except for people who are in the military, hospitalized or disabled. President Donald Trump has said the changes are necessary to prevent voter fraud. However, it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote, and instances of attempted voter fraud are extremely rare.
Bedekovics pointed out that between 80 million and 100 million Americans either register to vote or update their registration during every federal election cycle.
"So if you move, that's a registration update. If you got married and changed your name, you'd have to do this," she said. "This bill will absolutely impact everybody throughout the course of their life."
Trump has said he won’t sign any other legislation unless the SAVE America Act passes. The Senate has been debating the bill all week and may vote soon, before members leave on spring recess next week, or it could try to pass it in a few weeks without Democratic votes as part of a budget reconciliation bill.
Source: Public News Service
