New York, NY, Saturday, March 21, 2026 – The Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York (“WBASNY”) opposes the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (“SAVE Act”). This Act may result in serious detrimental impacts on participation in the electoral process especially for women, those who have changed their names, the elderly and those who are disabled.

The purported goals of the SAVE Act are to prevent instances of non-citizen voting. Studies, however, have demonstrated that this is an almost non-existent problem.

As a broad overview, the SAVE Act sets forth burdensome requirements for proof of citizenship deemed acceptable and raises barriers for U.S. citizens from registering to vote, disproportionately affecting women. Married women who have taken their spouse’s last name will be required to produce documentation to explain why their legal name does not match the name on their birth certificate. Additionally, many Americans, especially people of color, low-income individuals, and married and divorced women may not have the type of documentation deemed acceptable under the Act and may face significant challenges to obtain it in time to cast their vote. In addition, the SAVE Act’s in-person requirement for proof of citizenship would eliminate voter registration methods including registration by mail, voter registration drives, online voter registration and automatic voter registration that has made participation in the electoral process easier for stay at home and working parents, as well as people with disabilities.

The SAVE Act would allow the federal government to take far greater control of the election process and rules, despite election related issues having long been almost exclusively in the province of the States. There are registration procedures already in place by state election authorities to address these and other voter issues.

It was only a little over 100 years ago that women fought for and obtained the constitutional right to vote in this country. As women lawyers, we must be diligent to protect the 19th Amendment and stand up and speak out against any law or action infringing upon it.

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The Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York (WBASNY) is the professional membership organization of choice for more than 4,100 attorneys throughout New York State and the largest statewide women’s bar association in the country. For 45 years, WBASNY has been a singularly important resource for women lawyers, providing professional networking, continuing legal education programming, leadership training, and advocacy for the rights of women, children, and families. Through involvement with WBASNY’s 20 regional chapters and its 50 committees, WBASNY’s members collaborate with one another on a variety of issues and perform public and community service, in furtherance of its mission to promote the advancement of the status of women in society and women in the legal profession; to promote the fair and equal administration of justice; and to act as a unified voice for its members with respect to issues of statewide, national and international significance to women generally and women attorneys in particular. WBASNY holds United Nations NGO status with the U.N.’s Department of Public Information, and Special Consultative status in association with the U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). WBASNY is also a founding member of the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations.