Rural Connecticut voters could face new challenges to access the ballot box.

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act would require identification to vote, register or change their voter information, which can be problematic for rural voters, as data show they do not always have access to a birth certificate or a passport for identification.

Helen Humphreys, senior organizer and communications coordinator for the Connecticut Citizen Action Group, said state election offices aren't prepared an expected increase in services.

"I think it would put tremendous pressure on these already kind of struggling entities who need more money, more resources to carry out these different things the SAVE Act would make them do," Humphreys pointed out.

The bill does not include new federal dollars for election offices, leaving states to support this initiative on their own. The change comes two years after voters approved a constitutional amendment approving no-excuse absentee voting.

The legislation is not the only action limiting voting rights. President Donald Trump signed an executive order heavily restricting mail-in voting, which a quarter of all rural voters used in the 2024 election. Connecticut is one of 23 states suing to block the executive order.

Humphreys noted people are anxious about how these voting changes could affect them.

"People are really scared right now because so many women changed their name because they got married; there’s so many trans people who have changed their name," Humphreys outlined. "There’s also a bunch of other reasons why people change their name or that kind of thing, and so I think people are realizing this is a significant voter suppression act."

Under President Trump’s executive order, mail-in voting would be allowed under three circumstances: if a person is away on vacation, sick in a hospital or in the military.

Source: Public News Service