The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or the SAVE Act, is the newest G.O.P. lead bill that would redefine eligible voters to those with specific citizenship documents. This bill would not have passed in the House without the support of four democrats, including Washington State House member Marie Gluesenkamp Perez.

In an official statement to the press, Perez stated her vote was based on the following, “I do not support noncitizens voting in American elections.”

Currently in Washington state, no noncitizen can vote in local, state, or federal elections. Presently, documentation for voter registration only includes a valid Washington driver’s license. Under the proposed bill a voter registrant would need to present either a passport, birth certificate, or Social Security card.  

In effect, this would isolate any person with a different last name from their birth certificate,  passport, or social security card from voting, as well as individuals who are unable to afford the $130 fee for a passport. The most common group affected by this bill would be married women. 

Among American adults 52% do not own a passport. Nationally, around 79% of married women have chosen to take their husband’s last name. This is around 69 million Americans. A demographic Gluesenkamp Perez herself falls into. 

Of her constituency in House District 3, 53.7% of married voters are female. As of April 2025, that includes over 173,000 voters. In her official press statement Glusenkamp Perez does not address this demographic. When inquired, her team gave no response. 

An amendment to ensure this bill would not disproportionately affect married female voters was voted down on April 1, 2025.

“I also understand the SAVE Act stands no chance of passage in the Senate due to the filibuster,” Glusenkamp Perez noted.

Although most Americans are not allowed to pass the buck of responsibility when it comes to their jobs, this statement might not represent the entire senate situation.

Notably, the Republican lead 119th Senate has recently successfully passed cloture, or the allowance for a simple two-thirds majority vote to end a filibuster. Since the start of the 2025-2026 year, cloture has been successfully evoked 58 times.

On April 10, the bill was introduced in the Senate. Time will tell if Glusenkamp Perez’s vote will have been a key cornerstone in disenfranchising women’s voting rights for generations to come.