Supervisors oppose federal voter ID laws

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously agreed to voice their opposition to proposed federal legislation that would require voter ID and retool voter eligibility requirements nationwide, which County Clerk Tricia Weber says would make it harder for many U.S. citizens to vote.

The vote allows Weber to send a letter—signed by all the supervisors—to the House of Representatives.

“As the County Clerk/Registrar of Voters, I am deeply concerned about the bill’s impact on voter accessibility and the administrative burdens it imposes on our elections office, as well as its potential to disenfranchise eligible voters,” Weber wrote.

The bills in question are HR 22 and S128—proposed by the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, respectively—which collectively are called the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.

While Republican lawmakers say the legislation was created to ensure that only U.S. residents can vote, officials nationwide are sounding alarm bells about its possible unintended consequences.

Under the proposed laws, anyone registering to vote must do so in person. Applicants would be required to show proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate or a passport. The legislation largely eliminates online and by-mail registration, as well as registration drives.

It also prohibits automatic voter registration, such as through DMV license renewals.

The in-person registration requirement could also impact people who live in remote and rural areas, Weber said.

President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly claimed—without evidence—that there is widespread voter fraud, signed an executive order on March 25 that mandates similar rules regarding voter ID to take effect immediately.

California has joined 19 states that have sued to block that order, calling it “an unconstitutional attempt to seize control of elections.”

It would also place an onerous burden on many citizens.

According to a report by the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement, some 21 million Americans say they do not have easy access to a driver’s license, a problem that disproportionately affects Black, Latinx and younger voters. It also affects disabled voters, as they are less likely to have a license.

More than 9% of voters—roughly 21.3 million people—cannot readily access proof of citizenship, the report says.

Weber says that requirement could mean that people who change their names—such as when they get married and their last name no longer matches that on their birth certificate—can no longer vote.

There is nothing in the law, Weber points out, that says a marriage certificate can be used to show why a name has changed.

In addition, the proposed laws call for criminal penalties against clerks who err in voter registration.

“As the registrar, that makes me very nervous, not just for myself but we do same-day registration in California, where we put people out at voting locations,” Weber wrote.

In 2024, Santa Cruz County processed a total of 45,390 registrations. Of these, 26,755 came through DMV license renewals, and 2,739 were done through the mail. A total of 7,696 were done online.

All told, the county clerk processed 173 registrations per day, Weber said.

“And these people would need under the SAVE Act to come in person in order to do that,” she said.

Supervisor Justin Cummings said he was disappointed to see the proposed legislation.

“I think it’s appalling what the administration is attempting to do here, just given that it really is going to negatively impact many people throughout the country, everyone from Republicans, Democrats, non-party preference,” he said.

Supervisor Monica Martinez agreed.

“This move by Congress is just another effort to disenfranchise people, to take the voice away from folks here in our community,” she said. “We’re committed to do anything we can at the local level to ensure that people have the right to vote.”