Congresswoman Maxine Dexter (D-OR) forced a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives to address concerns over the Republican-backed SAVE Act, which she criticized as a thinly veiled attempt at voter suppression targeting women. The bill, introduced under the pretense of enhancing election integrity, would impose additional documentation requirements for married women who have changed their last names, potentially obstructing their ability to vote.
Dexter leveraged a procedural tool known as the “Previous Question” to propose an amendment that would require state-level certifications, ensuring the law would not disenfranchise married women. The amendment sought to protect women whose documents may not match after changing their last names, a common occurrence that could result in barriers to voting.
“The SAVE Act isn’t about preventing fraud, it’s about preventing participation in our elections,” Dexter said. “That’s why I demanded that House Republicans adopt my amendment to give assurances that married women who change their last name will not be shut out of the ballot box. This amendment isn’t a theoretical, it’s about the married woman in Hood River whose documents don’t match after changing her name. It’s about making sure our democracy includes all of us. And House Republicans voted it down.”
Despite Dexter’s efforts, House Republicans voted down her amendment, declining to provide assurances that married women would not be excluded from the ballot box.
Broader Efforts to Protect Vulnerable Voters
In addition to her primary amendment, Dexter introduced seven others aimed at safeguarding voting rights for various vulnerable groups. These amendments would have required states to certify that the SAVE Act’s provisions would not disenfranchise:
- Military service members
- People of color
- Native communities
- Survivors of domestic violence
- Seniors
- People with disabilities
- Rural residents
Each of these amendments was blocked by Republican lawmakers. Dexter was joined in her efforts by several co-sponsors, including Representatives Hank Johnson (D-GA), Johnny Olszewski (D-MD), Emanuel Cleaver II (D-MO), Vincente Gonzalez (D-TX), Bobby Scott (D-VA), and Shri Thanedar (D-MI).
By forcing Republicans to take a public stance on these issues, she aimed to draw attention to what she described as deliberate attempts to restrict access to the ballot box under the guise of election reform.
