After Donald Trump’s victory in last year’s presidential election, several MAGA influencers cheered the prospect of him trampling on women’s rights. And Republican lawmakers have acted on that ethos with startling speed.
Democratic women sounded the alarm Thursday following the House’s passage of the so-called SAVE Act, which would require all states to obtain proof of citizenship from people registering to vote, as well as mandate that states have a program to remove undocumented immigrants from existing voter rolls and allow Americans to sue officials who don’t follow the proof-of-citizenship requirements. Voting rights activists have condemned the measure as a voter suppression bill, saying it requires documents that members of marginalized groups, particularly nonwhite people, disproportionately lack.
And critics have also said the law runs the risk of disenfranchising women who marry and then change their last name.
“The House just passed the Republican voter suppression measure that threatens voting access for millions of Americans, including 69 million women whose married names don’t match their birth certificates,” Hillary Clinton noted on X.
“Make sure your senators know you expect them to stand against it,” she wrote.
Update: The House just passed the Republican voter suppression measure that threatens voting access for millions of Americans, including 69 million women whose married names don't match their birth certificates.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) April 10, 2025
Make sure your senators know you expect them to stand against it. https://t.co/cYTismZC4U
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., posted a similar message, warning that the legislation risks disenfranchising millions of women.
🚨House Republicans just passed a bill that would disenfranchise 70 million married American women.
— Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@RepAOC) April 10, 2025
Under the SAVE Act, women who took their spouse’s last name and don't have an updated passport or birth certificate would be turned away at the polls.
As did Rep. Shontel Brown of Ohio.
“The SAVE Act is yet another Republican attack on women,” she wrote.
“This bill would make registering to vote extremely difficult for millions of women who have changed their name, including over 2 million Ohioans.
“It’s a propaganda bill that creates problems instead of solving them. #HellNo.”








