An act relating to requiring proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration
H.671 would require documented proof of U.S. citizenship before a person may register to vote or cast a ballot in Vermont. It amends the state’s voter eligibility and registration laws to require applicants to submit acceptable citizenship documents, such as a U.S. birth certificate, passport, naturalization certificate, or another government-issued document verifying citizenship. The bill also directs town clerks and the Department of Motor Vehicles to record the proof provided and, where feasible, verify citizenship through the federal SAVE program.
The bill further changes motor vehicle-based voter registration so that DMV applications can only be used for voter registration when the applicant provides proof of citizenship or the department already has such proof. It also expands statewide voter checklist maintenance by directing the Secretary of State and town clerks to use SAVE to verify registered voters’ citizenship status and remove confirmed noncitizens. In addition, the bill requires a memorandum of agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security by January 1, 2027, and appropriates $300,000 to integrate SAVE into state and local systems and train town clerks.
If enacted, H.671 would substantially tighten Vermont’s voter registration requirements by adding a citizenship-documentation prerequisite to the existing eligibility rules in 17 V.S.A. §§ 2121, 2145, 2145a, and 2154. It would shift administrative duties to town clerks, the Department of Motor Vehicles, and the Secretary of State to collect, record, and verify citizenship information, and it would authorize ongoing list maintenance using federal verification tools. The bill would also affect public records and checklist access rules by reinforcing confidentiality protections for certain voter data while limiting disclosure and use of checklist information for non-election purposes.
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes in the provided materials, the overall sentiment appears to be supportive of stricter election verification and voter-roll maintenance, as reflected by the bill’s detailed implementation provisions and funding request. The measure is framed as an election integrity bill, with an emphasis on confirming citizenship and improving checklist accuracy. Because no committee transcript or vote history is provided, there is no documented public record here of formal support or opposition from legislators or stakeholders.
The main point of contention is likely the requirement that every registrant provide documented proof of U.S. citizenship, which could be viewed by supporters as a safeguard against noncitizen registration but by opponents as a barrier to eligible voters who may lack ready access to documents. Another likely area of dispute is the mandated use of the federal SAVE program for both registration and ongoing voter-roll maintenance, including bulk uploads, which raises administrative, privacy, and accuracy concerns. The bill’s restrictions on checklist disclosure and its direction to remove confirmed noncitizens may also draw scrutiny over implementation burdens on local clerks and the potential for erroneous disenfranchisement.