Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed says SAVE Act threatens to disenfranchise voters, not stop fraud

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - The SAVE Act, a Republican-backed federal bill that would require in-person proof of citizenship to register to vote, is drawing sharp criticism from Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed, who said in his

on Wednesday that the legislation threatens to undermine hard-won voting rights.

monthly briefingThe Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act has passed the U.S. House but appears stalled in the Senate. Supporters say it is aimed at preventing noncitizens from voting. Opponents, including Reed, argue it would disenfranchise millions of eligible Americans who lack ready access to the required documents.

Reed says his views are shaped by both his personal experience and the city’s history as the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement.

“You can’t be in the position I’ve been in as the first Black probate judge elected in this county, as the first Black mayor in this city, and not understand how we got here,” he said. “Not understand that history, but more importantly, understand the lessons that came from it.”

Reed said he believes the SAVE Act would restrict access to the ballot instead of expanding participation.

“The SAVE Act seems to be more about how to prevent some people from voting, as opposed to how do we expand the right and the opportunity for people to vote,” he said.

Bill sponsors frame the measure as an election security proposal meant to combat voter fraud. However, documented cases of voter fraud are extremely rare in the United States and have not occurred on a scale that would change election outcomes, according to an Associated Press review.

Reed, who previously served as Montgomery County’s chief elections official, said those findings match what he saw firsthand.

“As a former chief election official for this county for seven years, I can tell you voter fraud was more talk than it was reality,” he said.

The debate over the SAVE Act comes as Alabama prepares to mark the 61st anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery march, a pivotal moment in the fight for voting rights that helped lead to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Reed said the anniversary underscores why he feels compelled to speak out against the legislation.

“As we commemorate this weekend, I don’t want anyone to think that this is just a celebration, or it’s just superficial,” he said. “This is something that we believe in to our core, and it’s something that our administration will continue to not only highlight, but to push back on each and every chance we get the opportunity.”

Opponents of the SAVE Act warn that the number of eligible voters who could be disenfranchised by the new requirements would far exceed the number of known voter fraud cases nationwide.

President Donald Trump has urged Congress to make the SAVE Act a top priority. The bill cleared the House earlier this year but has faced strong opposition from Senate Democrats, leaving its future uncertain.

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