Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, pushed back hard on claims that the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE America Act, would disenfranchise women voters, telling Newsmax on Monday that lawmakers were "very specific" in crafting the bill's citizenship verification provisions.
Appearing on "Rob Schmitt Tonight," Roy dismissed Democrat arguments that the legislation could create problems for married women whose legal names differ from those on their birth certificates.
"Well, it sure is news to my wife and my mom and all of the women in my life that somehow we're moving legislation to prevent them from voting," Roy said.
"The simple truth is it's just not true."
Roy said the bill was written with flexibility in mind, particularly regarding proof-of-citizenship requirements tied to voter registration.
"We were very specific in how we did this," he said.
"We made clear in the SAVE Act, the portion that deals with citizenship, that we allow lots of opportunity for states to be able to produce systems and processes by which women can be able to go and make sure their citizenship is made clear and check the voter rolls and all of that."
He said the legislation includes an affidavit option for voters whose documentation may reflect different names.
"But to be very specific, we included a provision that allows a person, whether they're male or female ... to go sign an affidavit and they show up and they say, 'Look, I'm Sarah Smith on my birth certificate; I'm Sarah Jones on my driver's license. I'm the same person,'" Roy said.
"They have to sign that affidavit under penalty of perjury," he added.
"And so they can sign that and say, 'I'm the same person,' if they haven't been able to go through the process."
Roy said lawmakers "bent over backwards" to ensure states have flexibility while maintaining election safeguards.
"We've actually bent over backwards to make sure there are clear lanes for states to be flexible on this," he said.
"And under federal law, to be very specific, that there is an affidavit option so no one can possibly be denied the ability to register to vote."
Roy called Democrats' criticism of the measure misleading.
"It's a complete lie. They're doing it on purpose because they certainly want noncitizens to vote," he said.
"That's the real truth. They're very open about it."
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