SAVE America Act Threatens Alaskan Voting Access

0:00It's March 23rd. This is Anchorage News Today, AI-powered stories from your city. I'm Cory with the story. Senator Lisa Murkowski warned that the SAV America Act, now under debate in the U.S. Senate, could block thousands of Alaskans from voting this year. The bill, backed by former President Donald Trump and most Republicans, aims to stop non-citizens from casting ballots by requiring photo. Certification at the polls and documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration. This would force people to show citizenship documents in person at limited election offices or certain state agencies, a big shift from Alaskans, common online, voter voter or dividend linked registration methods. With only six election offices, mostly along the populated rail belt and few motor vehicle spots statewide, rural folks might need to travel long distances or even fly to cities. Murkowski highlighted the challenges during a long speech on Capitol Hill, noting that about half of Alaskans lack passports and state drivers.

1:03Licenses or most travel IDs wouldn't qualify as proof. She pointed out that non-citizen voting is rare here, with just around seven possible cases per year since 2015, many already, prosecuted. Meanwhile, Alaska's Republican House member, Nick Begich and Senator Dan Sullivan support the measure, arguing it ensures secure elections without much. Hassel, Sullivan stressed that voting should be straightforward, but not open to fraud, though he opposes bypassing the Senate filibuster to pass in. As things stand, the bill needs 60 votes to advance, and with Democrats and Murkowski against it, its chances look slim for now, leaving Alaska's voting access intact.