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🗳️ The SAVE America Act
Voting Rights · Democracy · AP Government
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🗳️ What Is the SAVE America Act?
President Trump is pushing senators to pass a law called the SAVE America Act (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act). This law would require every American to show proof of citizenship — like a passport or birth certificate — before they can register to vote. Supporters say this will stop voter fraud by noncitizens. Critics say the law would actually hurt American citizens far more than it would stop any fraud.
📜 Kansas Already Tried This — And It Didn't Go Well
Back in 2013, Kansas passed an almost identical law called the SAFE Act. It also required documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. So what happened? A federal judge struck it down in 2018 as unconstitutional. Here's the scoreboard from Kansas:
🚫 ~31,000 eligible Kansas voters were blocked from registering — about 12% of all first-time registrants.
✅ Only 28 noncitizens were stopped from registering while the law was active.
📋 In the 13 years before the law, only 39 noncitizens had ever successfully registered — and even those were likely accidents, not intentional fraud.
Steven Fish was one of those blocked voters. He was trying to vote for the first time, but he couldn't find his birth certificate (he was born on a military base that had since closed) and he didn't have a passport. Like nearly half of all Americans, he simply didn't have the documents the law required.
👨⚖️ What the Experts Say
Lorraine Minnite, a professor at Rutgers University who served as an expert witness in the Kansas case, said there was "very little evidence of noncitizen voting in Kansas, either before 2011 or after." She argues that what was once a fringe idea — that millions of noncitizens are secretly voting — has become a central belief in the Republican Party platform, pushed hard by President Trump.
Danielle Lang from the Campaign Legal Center warns that the SAVE America Act would be even stricter than the Kansas law — and therefore, even more costly and harmful. The federal law would require voters to bring documents in person, whereas Kansas allowed them to submit electronically or by mail.
💸 It Would Also Cost a Lot of Money
A study by three research groups found that Kansas' SAFE Act likely cost the state government as much as $353,000 — and that didn't even count the extra spending at the county level. Multiply that across thousands of local elections offices nationwide, and the cost of enforcing the SAVE America Act would be orders of magnitude higher.
🏛️ What Are Kansas Politicians Saying?
Interestingly, even some Kansas Republicans are skeptical. Scott Schwab, Kansas' current Secretary of State — who actually voted for the original SAFE Act — told the Associated Press in 2024: "Kansas did that 10 years ago. It didn't work out so well." He suggested the federal government avoid repeating Kansas' mistake.
However, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach — the original champion of the law — is still pushing for national action. And Kansas' two U.S. Senators, Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran, both support the SAVE America Act.
⚖️ The Big Debate: Security vs. Access
This is the core tension in American democracy: How do you keep elections secure while also making sure every eligible citizen can vote? Republicans argue the benefits of security outweigh any inconvenience. Democrats argue that requiring specific documents creates a modern-day poll tax — a barrier that falls hardest on the poor, young, and elderly.
Disenfranchisement of even a small number of legitimate voters is a serious concern in a functioning representative democracy. And when the numbers show that over 31,000 eligible voters were blocked for every 28 noncitizens stopped, many experts question whether this tradeoff is worth it.
🧠 AP Gov Quiz
10 questions connecting the SAVE Act to AP Government concepts. Every answer helps Roger do tricks! 🐾
🗳️ Class Poll: The SAVE America Act
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🏛️ Live Class Responses
⚖️ Supreme Court Connection: Baker v. Carr (1962)
LANDMARK CASEIn Baker v. Carr, the Supreme Court ruled that federal courts could hear cases about legislative apportionment — specifically, whether voting districts were drawn fairly. Before this, courts said apportionment was a political question they wouldn't touch. Baker v. Carr established that courts could and should protect voting rights.
This connects directly to the SAVE Act: If the law disenfranchises millions, would courts — under the logic of Baker v. Carr — have standing to intervene? After all, Kansas' similar law WAS struck down by a federal court. Could the same happen here?
📋 Other Key Connections
The SAVE Act connects to several other landmark cases and concepts you've studied. Consider how each might apply:
Weakened the Voting Rights Act's federal oversight of state election laws. Does the SAVE Act show why that oversight was important?
Abolished the poll tax. Does requiring a passport (which costs $165) create a similar financial barrier for low-income voters?
Historically, states control voter registration. A federal proof-of-citizenship law would represent a major shift in federal vs. state power over elections.
📝 Your Turn: Design the Ideal Voting System
Given what you've read — the very low rates of actual fraud and the significant risk of blocking eligible voters — which documents, if any, do you think should be required to register to vote? Check all that you'd require, and explain your reasoning:
Types of Democracy
WHAT KIND OF
DEMOCRACY
ARE YOU?
AP Gov & Politics | Types of Democracy Deep Dive
With your co-pilot, Roger the GoPoPup 🐾
Tap each card to explore. Read carefully — Roger will quiz you soon! 🐾
The purest form of democracy — broad participation by ALL the people in politics and civil society. Power flows directly from citizens, not from elites or interest groups. Think: town halls, referendums, direct voting on laws.
The least purely democratic form — a small group of talented, educated elites makes most decisions. Citizens vote for representatives, but those reps really run the show. Parties and leaders hold the real power.
The middle ground — power belongs to organized factions: interest groups, political parties, and activist organizations. Anyone can join, but those with more resources have more influence.
| Feature | 👥 Participatory | 👑 Elite | 🤝 Pluralist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who holds power? | All the people | A small elite | Organized groups |
| AP Gov Hero | Brutus (Anti-Fed) | Madison / Hamilton | Interest groups |
| Real-world vibe | Town hall, ballot initiative | Supreme Court, Fed Reserve | NRA, AARP, Big Pharma |
| Main Risk | Mob rule | Oligarchy | Money = Power |
Question 1 of 8 — Answer fast for bonus XP!
Which type of democracy does each scenario represent? Tap to answer. Some are open-ended — no wrong answer! 🐾
These are YOUR answers. No wrong responses here — just honest thinking. Roger is cheering you on! 🐾
1. 💭 Which type of democracy do YOU most agree with and why?
Be real. Don't just say what sounds right. What actually makes sense to you?
2. 🇺🇸 What is the U.S. MOST like right now, and why?
Think about recent events. Lobbying, elections, Supreme Court decisions, social movements...
3. 🔗 Connect it Back — Brutus 1 vs. Federalist No. 10
How do the Antifederalists and Federalists map onto these three types of democracy? Any new insights now that you see it this way?
🌍 Bonus: Current Events Connect
Name ONE current event (news story from the past year) that illustrates one of the three types of democracy. Explain the connection.
You crushed it!
Presidential Campaign Visit Prediction Center
2020 Presidential Campaign Visits
Where did candidates spend their time during the 2020 general election?
2020 General Election — Campaign Events by State
Week 10: Aug 28 – Nov 3, 20202020 Top States by Visits
Highlighted States| State | 2020 Visits | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 47 | Critical swing state |
| Florida | 31 | Large swing state |
| Michigan | 21 | Rust Belt battleground |
| North Carolina | 25 | Sun Belt battleground |
| Wisconsin | 18 | Midwest battleground |
| Minnesota | 9 | Lean-Dem swing |
| Iowa | 5 | Lean-Rep swing |
| Nevada | 11 | Sun Belt swing |
| Arizona | 13 | Sun Belt emerging |
| Georgia | 7 | Sun Belt emerging |
| Texas | 3 | Solidly red (few visits) |
| Ohio | 11+13=? | Midwest swing |
2024 Presidential Campaign Visits
How did the 2024 campaign trail compare to 2020?
2024 General Election — Campaign Events by State
Total Visits Per State2020 vs 2024 Comparison
Battleground Evolution| State | 2020 Visits | 2024 Visits | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 47 | 62 | ⬆️ More critical |
| Michigan | 21 | 45 | ⬆️ Rose sharply |
| Wisconsin | 18 | 37 | ⬆️ Rose sharply |
| North Carolina | 25 | 40 | ⬆️ More contested |
| Georgia | 7 | 27 | ⬆️ New battleground |
| Arizona | 13 | 20 | ⬆️ Growing importance |
| Nevada | 11 | 15 | ↔️ Similar |
| Florida | 31 | ~3 | ⬇️ Less competitive |
| Texas | 3 | ~1 | ⬇️ Still safe-R |
| California | ~0 | 1 | ↔️ Safe-D |
Predict the 2028 Campaign Trail
Click any state to enter how many campaign visits you predict in 2028. States that get visits will turn gold!
🗺️ Click a state to enter your prediction
State
How many campaign visits do you predict in 2028?
Enter 0 for none, or any number
Write Your Claim
A good claim explains the "why" behind your prediction. Use evidence from the 2020 and 2024 maps!
📊 Your 2028 Prediction Summary
✍️ Make Your Evidence-Based Claim
Write 2–4 sentences explaining WHY you think the 2028 campaign trail will look the way you predicted. Use evidence from 2020 and 2024!
💡 Sentence starters: "Based on the 2020 and 2024 maps, I predict... because..." or "I noticed that states like... tend to receive more visits because..."
💬 Student Comments & Reflections