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Advocacy Years: 2025

Comments to Government Agencies re SAVE System

In December of 2025 Fair Elections Center submitted comments to two government agencies, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA), in opposition to proposals to modify and reissue system of records notices (“SORN”) reflecting recent overhaul of a DHS system that will facilitate state efforts to impose a backdoor documentary […]

Ohio: Citizenship Checks and Mail-In Ballot Deadline Restrictions

SB 293 creates an onerous citizenship checks process that makes it harder to stay registered to vote, especially for naturalized citizens or anyone that doesn’t have ready access to citizenship documents when they get their driver’s license. The bill also restricts the ability of Ohioans to vote by mail by eliminating the four-day grace period after Election Day for mail-in ballots to be delivered to the board of elections.

EAC Comment in Opposition to DPOC Requirement

In July, anti-voter group America First Legal Foundation (AFL) submitted a petition for rulemaking to the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), requesting the EAC amend the federal voter registration form to require Americans to show a passport or other citizenship documents when registering to vote. These show-your-papers requirements create unnecessary barriers that are particularly hard on students, among other communities. Fair Elections Center is submitting this comment to oppose adding barriers to voter registration. As expressed in our comment, Elections Assistance Commission (EAC) should not—and cannot—make the changes to the national mail voter registration form to add a show your papers proof requirement to register to vote as requested in the Petition for Rulemaking submitted by America First Legal. Such changes would violate federal laws.

Specifically, adopting a DPOC requirement would plainly contradict prior EAC decisions, as well as responses to prior requests from states to add a DPOC requirement to their state instructions on the Federal Form. EAC declined to establish documentary proof requirements for naturalization and citizenship respectively because it was not necessary to validate the eligibility of an applicant and would not serve any additional election security purpose than a citizenship attestation requirement alone. Critically, the EAC should decline to add this requirement now because it will disenfranchise many of the millions of otherwise eligible voters in the United States who lack access to DPOC.

Documentary Proof of Citizenship Petitions in Michigan Fact Sheet

What is a Documentary Proof of Citizenship (DPOC) Requirement to Register to Vote?
-Documentary proof of citizenship policies require that before otherwise-eligible citizens can register to vote, they must provide paperwork showing that they are U.S. citizens in addition to their voter registration forms. For most people, that would mean providing a passport or a birth certificate to register.
-Voters in Michigan and almost every state currently register by simply swearing or affirming in writing that they are citizens under penalty of perjury.

Ohio SAVE Act

OH SB 153/HB 233 would require documentary proof of citizenship, along with other sweeping changes to election code like banning the use of drop boxes and requiring multiple forms of identification to match your voter registration. The bill would also drastically change the process for citizen-led ballot initiatives.

Florida Omnibus Anti-Voter Bill

HB 1381 is an omnibus (multi-issue) anti-voter bill which among other things adds documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote, shortens the list of accepted voter IDs for voting including taking student ID off the list, adds harmful data sharing and list maintenance provisions, and adds a requirement of marking citizenship status on driver licenses & identification cards.

SAVE Act (2025)

Fair Elections Center opposes the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require every American to provide documentary proof of citizenship to register or re-register to vote. Requiring oftentimes hard-to-get and expensive documents make it harder for citizens to vote, and doesn’t solve any problems with our elections. Recent studies show that around ten percent of voting-eligible Americans do not have documents to show their citizenship. Those citizens are more likely to be women, low income people, and from communities of color.