Several Republican lawmakers are pushing back against comments made by Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., after she claimed the SAVE Act would make it more difficult for married women to vote, as reported [1] by Breitbart.
During a town hall meeting, Slotkin criticized the legislation, arguing it was intended to benefit Republicans at the ballot box.
She said the SAVE Act was designed to “rig our democracy so that it would be hard for any Democrat in any state to win any election.”
Slotkin also argued that the proposal would negatively affect married women by creating additional documentation requirements for voting.
She said the legislation would “disenfranchise all married women,” adding that women who changed their last names after marriage would have to present their birth certificates at polling places.
Her remarks prompted responses from several Republican senators, including Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who rejected her claims in posts on X.
Paul called Slotkin’s argument inaccurate and said the proposal simply requires voters to verify their U.S. citizenship.
“This talking point from the Left is not only false, but it also paints women as incapable, which we all know is not the case. Showing up to the polls to vote with an ID that proves you’re an American citizen – whether you’re married or not – is common sense. We need to pass the SAVE America Act,” Paul wrote.
This talking point from the Left is not only false, but it also paints women as incapable, which we all know is not the case.
Showing up to the polls to vote with an ID that proves you’re an American citizen – whether you’re married or not – is common sense. We need to pass the… https://t.co/pWJbU2Hv5a [2]
— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) July 13, 2026 [3]
Lee also disputed Slotkin’s assertion by comparing the identification requirements to employment verification already required under federal law.
“By that same logic, no married woman in America could fill out an I-9 form, which every American must do when starting a new job. This is absurd. And it highlights why we need to pass the SAVE America Act,” Lee wrote.
By that same logic, no married woman in America could fill out an I-9 form—which every American must do when starting a new job.
This is absurd.
And it highlights why we need to pass the SAVE America Act. https://t.co/1nRBClbwDH [4]
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) July 13, 2026 [5]
The debate over the SAVE Act comes as voter identification laws continue to be a point of disagreement between Republicans and Democrats nationwide.
Supporters of voter ID laws have pointed to election participation data in Georgia following the state’s election reforms as evidence that stricter voting requirements have not reduced turnout.
According to the available election data, Georgia experienced either stable or increased voter participation after implementing election law changes.
During the 2022 midterm elections, early voting tripled compared to the 2018 midterm elections and doubled compared to the 2020 election cycle.
Black voters also cast more than 100,000 additional early ballots than they did during the 2018 midterms.
Georgia also recorded another high level of participation during this year’s primary elections.
According to WABE, approximately one million voters cast ballots during the early voting period before polls closed on Friday.
The outlet reported that the previous Georgia primary record for early voting was approximately 857,000 ballots cast in 2022.
“About 1 million people turned out for early voting as polls closed Friday, according to the Georgia secretary of state’s office. The previous record for early voting in a Georgia primary was about 857,000 in 2022,” WABE reported.
The report also noted changing turnout patterns between the two major political parties compared with the last primary cycle.
“And Democrats have flipped the script on Republicans this year compared to the early voting period in the 2022 primary,” the outlet added.
The report further noted that Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has become “concerned about the Democratic turnout advantage” as early voting numbers increased.
Republicans backing the SAVE Act have argued that requiring proof of citizenship strengthens election integrity while maintaining access to the ballot for eligible voters.
Democrats, including Slotkin, have continued to argue that the proposal could create additional barriers for some voters, particularly married women who have changed their surnames.
The exchange has become the latest flashpoint in the broader national debate over election security, voter identification requirements, and access to the ballot ahead of future federal elections.