WASHINGTON – La Plata County election officials and activist groups are raising concerns about a strict voter identification bill the Trump administration has pushed lawmakers to pass ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The SAVE Act, which narrowly passed the U.S. House last month, would require proof of citizenship to be provided in person in order to receive a ballot, limiting online voter registration. Additionally, the bill would require a government-issued photo ID to vote, with mail-in ballots requiring a photocopy.
President Donald Trump has hailed the SAVE Act as a necessary piece of legislation meant to curb alleged widespread voter fraud from undocumented immigrants.
La Plata County Clerk and Recorder Tiffany Lee said she opposes the legislation and believes changing registration requirements and voting procedures this close to an election cycle will cause U.S. citizens to miss out on voting.
“Voters are so used to using online options and not needing to come into our offices. That would change,” Lee said. “Making barriers and challenges will stop people from voting and participating.”
Lee voiced further concerns about the timing of the bill and the proximity to the upcoming election. A flood of in-person registrations and voting would put a strain on her office and would require her to scramble to find additional staff, she said. Additionally, the bill would apply only to federal – not state – elections, which Lee said could cause further confusion on Election Day if ID requirements differ.
“If there’s this big of a concern (surrounding fraud), why didn’t we do thoughtful legislation and really listen to those that are doing the work?” Lee said. “And have evidence to support it? Which we don’t.”
Another concern surrounding the bill is that an estimated 9% of eligible voters do not have easy access to documented proof of citizenship, according to a study from the University of Maryland. Mady Miraglia and Wendy Pollak are both on the board of directors for the League of Women Voters of La Plata County, a non-partisan voting rights activist organization, and share similar concerns to Lee.
“It’s being glibly presented as just requiring proof before you vote, but we already have that,” Miraglia said. “So it’s really throwing up a lot of roadblocks instead.”
Pollak added that the financial burden of obtaining necessary documents could operate as a poll tax, which would be damaging for the voting base.
“There are a lot of people who don’t have those documents and don’t have the resources, the finances, to get those documents in time,” Pollak said.
Rep. Jeff Hurd was one of 217 GOP Representatives who backed the SAVE Act when it passed in the lower chamber 218-213 in early February.
“Requiring identification to vote is a straightforward step that strengthens public confidence in the outcome,” Hurd wrote on X shortly after the vote. “Only American citizens should vote in American elections.”
In recent weeks, the legislation has experienced difficulty getting to the finish line, as threats from Democrats to filibuster the bill dissuaded Senate Majority Leader John Thune. However, amid growing pressure from Trump himself, the act is expected to be brought to the Senate floor this week, setting up a difficult feat for the GOP: find 60 votes to invoke cloture, forcefully ending the filibuster, or hope Democrats fold.
Despite the pushback, a Pew Research study found that 83% of the country supported requiring government-issued ID to be shown in order to vote, a major provision of the SAVE Act. Lee believes that there has been a major disconnect between what the bill will actually do and the public’s understanding of it.
“I’m really disappointed with people saying, ‘How could you not want voter ID to vote?’” Lee said. “We already require that, so there is so much misunderstanding about what this piece of legislation is doing.”
Jake Mittleman, a junior at American University in Washington, D.C., is an intern for The Durango Herald. He can be reached at [email protected].
