Meryl Streep’s Take on the SAVE Act is as Groundbreaking as Florals in Spring

I am a diehard “The Devil Wears Prada” fan. It’s an absolutely iconic movie, and the character who makes it iconic is Miranda Priestly, played by the legendary Meryl Streep. The dialogue is flawless. The story is classic. The outfits are on point. The romance is sweet.

Actors seem larger than life, and they carry immense cultural influence; that’s why I’m so disappointed that Meryl Streep has unfortunately decided to spread debunked falsehoods about women’s voting rights under the SAVE America Act.

She recently claimed on Stephen Colbert’s talk show that married women would be turned away from the voting booth and would be disenfranchised by this legislation. The problem is that she is entirely incorrect. Neither of those two claims is remotely true.

Here’s the truth of what really happens if the SAVE America Act passes. If you register to vote, bringing your birth certificate and marriage certificate, this would be the process: You would present both documents, the election official would note your citizenship, and you would be free to register to vote.

The text of the SAVE America Act clearly states that you can provide a “form of identification issued consistent with the requirements of the REAL ID Act of 2005 that indicates the applicant is a citizen of the United States.” Under the REAL ID Act of 2005 requirements, a birth certificate in combination with a marriage certificate satisfies the citizenship proof requirements.

There’s even an additional provision just to make absolutely sure that no one is accidentally disenfranchised. The bill establishes an affidavit system so that the election worker registering someone to vote can evaluate the presented documents and then affirm the person’s citizenship and eligibility. Clearly, this provides another functional safeguard for accepting the birth certificate plus marriage certificate scenario.

The SAVE America Act actually protects women because women deserve fair and accurate elections. Elections are the foundation of self-governance. They depend on one person, casting one vote, at one time. The policies in the SAVE America Act—requiring photo ID and citizenship proof—are just the verifications of eligibility to participate in American elections. Eligible voters aren’t facing disenfranchisement under this bill.

When just one ineligible person casts a ballot, that fraudulent vote cancels out the legitimate vote of an American citizen. The hardworking mom who took her kids to the polls, or the teacher or nurse who used a lunch break to cast a ballot, deserves to know her vote counted and wasn’t cancelled out by a fraudulent ballot.

Meryl Streep is allowed her opinion, but debate should be rooted in honest engagement with what a bill actually says. The SAVE America Act deserves to be discussed on its merits, and anyone opposing it should make their case accurately, without resorting to claims that the bill’s text simply does not support. 

As Miranda Priestly says, “That’s all.”