President Donald Trump said that he wants the election to be fair and has pushed for the integrity of the country’s democracy. He said that to achieve this goal, he wants the Congress to pass the Save America Act.
On March 8, the president stated in a Truth Social post that he has made this act a priority. He said that he will not sign any other bills until the Save America Act is passed, urging that it must be done soon. However, he did not want the “watered-down version” of the same; referring to the SAVE Act, he suggested that the “GOLD” variant of the bill must be passed.
Trump suggested some requirements, which include mandatory voter identification, proof of citizenship and no mail-in ballots except for military and in cases of illness, disability, and travel. Other changes suggested by the president include “NO MEN IN WOMEN’S SPORTS” and “NO TRANSGENDER MUTILIZATION FOR CHILDREN.”
BREAKING: The US Senate is preparing to vote on passing the SAVE America Act on Wednesday.
12% chance it passes. https://t.co/Pvbd2Z1Jhe
— Polymarket (@Polymarket) March 14, 2026
According to a report by The Guardian, the rebranded Save America Act is an expanded version of the SAVE Act. The latter was previously proposed in the House of Representatives, but failed to get approval. Trump’s “GOLD” version is a much stricter variant.
The act requires a voter identification card to cast a ballot and a provision that requires states to turn their voter rolls over to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regularly. The Senate will consider the fate of the act next week.
David Becker, director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, called the new bill a “sweeping effort to solve a problem that doesn’t exist.” He said that the Save America Act requires a vast, expensive new bureaucracy months before the upcoming midterm elections. Becker claimed, “It’s a recipe for disaster.”
Likewise, experts have shared their opinion on how the Save America Act will overburden the election workers as well as the voters. Gréta Bedekovics, director of democracy policy at the Center for American Progress, said, “There’s no doubt in my mind that this would disenfranchise people.”
A report from the Center for American Progress states that nearly 69 million women would not be eligible to vote because they have taken on their spouse’s last name. The name change makes their birth certificates invalid because they do not match their current names.
Though the married women will not be barred from voting, they will require additional paperwork. The extra steps and confusion about acceptable documents could discourage a percentage of voters.
Tracy Thomas, a law professor at the University of Akron, said that the court would issue a marriage certificate to the women. However, it would be challenging for women who have been married for a long time and might not have their marriage certificate available.
.@PressSec says “there is zero validity” to the Democrats’ claim that the SAVE America Act would prevent and/or hinder married women from voting in elections. pic.twitter.com/vQ28harwhT
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 10, 2026
Thomas opined that on the surface, it seems like trivial costs, but it adds up. She said, “There is also time delays and administrative inconvenience and burden at each step that creates more obstacles and discouragement to voting.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the critics, stating that as long as married women who have changed their names are registered to vote, they will be unaffected by the new act, according to USA Today.
