(Iris Stone) – Several Nevadans wrote US Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, representing Nevada, urging her to support the SAVE America Act.
We all received the exact same response. It was quite lengthy.
Here is the letter and our embedded responses to each of the claims the Senator makes.
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Thank you for contacting me about the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, also known as the SAVE Act and the SAVE America Act. I appreciate the opportunity to respond.
The SAVE Act and the SAVE America Act were both introduced by Representative Chip Roy (R-TX) in a misguided effort to address concerns about noncitizens voting in federal elections. Let me be clear: it is already illegal for anyone who is not a U.S. citizen to vote in a federal election.
OUR RESPONSE #1: Making something illegal is not the same as preventing it. Drunk driving is illegal — but we still have sobriety checkpoints. The National Voter Registration Act has no enforcement mechanism — no requirement to verify citizenship at registration. The SAVE America Act adds the checkpoint the law has always been missing.
Examples of it happening are extremely rare.
OUR RESPONSE #2: This claim proves our point. Documented cases are rare because we have no systematic way to detect them. Absence of evidence in an unmonitored system is not evidence of absence — it is evidence the system is unmonitored. The SAVE America Act creates the monitoring. That’s the entire point.
And there are serious examples of illegals voting: people like Mahady Sacko, an illegal alien from Mauritania who has been voting in our elections since 2008 according to the Department of Homeland Security. Or Muhammad Muzammal and Muhammad Shakeel, noncitizens who registered to vote and then voted in the 2020 election in New Jersey. Or 19 foreign nationals who voted in the 2016 election.
These bills would disenfranchise many American citizens.
These measures force American citizens to provide documentary proof of citizenship through a passport or a birth certificate coupled with a government issued photo ID to an election official in person in order to register to vote.
This would be a huge hassle because many Nevadans don't have easy access to their birth certificate, or their birth certificate has their maiden name.
OUR RESPONSE #3: This is a deliberate misrepresentation. McLaughlin polling shows 76% support among self-identified Democrats — including 64% of Black Americans and 64% of Hispanics. Purchasing a firearm requires a background check, photo ID, and a 4473 form. The SAVE America Act clears that bar easily. Calling 83% consensus “disenfranchisement” is politics, not fact. As a further fallback, applicants may sign an attestation under penalty of perjury. No citizen is left without a path to register.
Furthermore, nearly half of Nevadans do not have a passport.
OUR RESPONSE #4: The people who do not have a passport can use other accepted documents: a REAL ID indicating U.S. citizenship, a military ID with service record, a government photo ID showing U.S. place of birth, a birth certificate paired with government photo ID, a naturalization certificate, and an American Indian KIC card. Most Americans already carry a qualifying document. No passport required.
Additionally, the SAVE America Act would force every state to share their voter rolls containing personal information with the Trump Administration.
OUR RESPONSE #5: Verifying US Citizenship against Federal data bases is already part of standard operating procedures. Over 1,300 agencies nationwide use SAVE system (coincidentally using the same name as the legislation) to support their benefit eligibility and licensing determinations. This includes agencies such as those that provide health care benefits, social security benefits, education grants and assistance, state driver’s licenses and ID cards, and occupational and professional licenses. The SAVE America Act merely requests that this be used to check voter registration applications. And is is free for states to use.
Both bills passed out of the House of Representatives. I do not support either of these bills.
Individuals registering to vote in federal elections are already required to formally verify their citizenship. There is no credible evidence that widespread noncitizen voting takes place in federal elections. In the very rare circumstances where noncitizens do try to vote, those individuals are prosecuted, and their vote is not counted.
OUR RESPONSE #6: Please refer to our responses #1 & #2
Under these bills, states would be forced to share sensitive voter data with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), potentially leading to eligible voters being removed from voter rolls for no reason.
OUR RESPONSE #7: Please re-read our response #1. The SAVE America Act is remarkably limited in scope – it merely requires that people are American citizens when they register and who they say they are when they vote. States will still run their own elections. If anything, the SAVE America Act is designed to stop efforts to corrupt federal elections by dismantling any and all election security safeguards.
The SAVE Act and the SAVE America Act are unnecessary and duplicative of existing safeguards.
Additionally, the implementation requirements of these bills would take effect immediately, leaving state election administrators no time or additional resources to change their systems before the 2026 midterm elections.
OUR RESPONSE #8: States moved rapidly to expand mail-in voting when standards loosened. Suddenly tightening standards is “impossible”? 95% of Americans already have valid photo ID. 89% can prove citizenship right now. The infrastructure exists. Acting now isn’t reckless —no, it’s responsible.
The right of all American citizens to participate in free and fair elections is a cornerstone of our democracy.
Both the SAVE America Act and the SAVE Act would harm the ability of eligible citizens to vote in federal elections and would do nothing to protect our elections from interference. Additionally, according to recent research by the University of Maryland, nearly 21.3 million American citizens do not have access to the documentary proof of citizenship these bills would require.
Not only would these bills place an unacceptable burden on American citizens attempting to vote, these bills would create additional, unreasonable requirements for married women who changed their names, individuals who rely on mail-in voter registration, individuals living in rural communities, and many other Nevadans.
Our efforts to address election security should not hinder eligible Americans from exercising their right to vote.
OUR RESPONSE #9: Please refer to our responses #3 and #4. Regarding married women, a marriage certificate or court order — completes the application, the same process used for passports and Real IDs. As a further fallback, applicants may sign an attestation under penalty of perjury. No citizen is left without a path to register.
To put it plainly, the SAVE America Act and the SAVE Act are misguided solutions in search of a problem. These bills are blatant attempts to block millions of eligible Americans from voting.
OUR RESPONSE #10: Quite the contrary, the SAVE America Act will prevent potentially thousands of ineligible and illegal residents from being automatically registered to vote, via the Department of Motor Vehicle automatic registration process, without the resident’s knowledge.
The American people must be able to trust that the will of the voters will prevail when they go to the polls, which is why I am working hard in the Senate to ensure our elections are safe and secure.
OUR RESPONSE #11: 84% of Americans say only citizens should vote — including 76% of Democrats and 78% of liberals. That should verification to prevent ineligible residents from accidentally or purposefully registering to vote.
We should be doing everything possible to encourage participation in the democratic process and ensure eligible voters are able to exercise their right to cast a ballot. For this reason, I will be voting no.
OUR RESPONSE #12: We noted that you avoid mentioning Voter ID, a cornerstone of the SAVE America Act. Why did the Senator not support the separate Voter ID bill offered on the floor? After all, 73% of Nevadans approved the ballot initiative in 2024? Over 1 Million of Nevadans cast their vote in favor. The largest ever turnout for any ballot initiative in our state! How is that a fair representation of your electorate, Senator? After Georgia strengthened voter ID laws, critics predicted collapse. Instead, Georgia saw record turnout including among minority voters. Integrity and participation are not opposites.
Thank you again for taking the time to write to me. I will keep your perspective in mind as I represent the great state of Nevada.
Sincerely,
Catherine Cortez Masto
United States Senator