“I'm trying not to elevate the issue too much.” Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), Feb., 2025

Atlanta – A new leaked recording obtained from a private Election Integrity Network strategy call from February 2025 captures Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) – the lead sponsor of the SAVE Act – acknowledging that his bill creates a documentation barrier for married women who changed their names. Fair Fight Action has reviewed the leaked footage and determined its legitimacy.

In the recording, Roy admits his own chief of staff faced the exact bureaucratic burden the bill would impose on millions of other American women – forcing her to go through “hoops” and make multiple trips to the DMV due to all the paperwork.

On the call, Roy described the SAVE Act’s issue with married women’s last name as a fake “allegation” driven by people trying to “stir the pot” but appeared to want to bury the “issue,” saying, “...frankly, I’m trying not to elevate the issue too much.”

On April 1, 2025 – about 2 months after Roy made the comments – Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-OR) brought an amendmentto the House floor specifically designed to protect married women who changed their names. Congressional Republicans voted it down. The SAVE Act passed the House on April 10, 2025.

Comment from Lauren Groh-Wargo, Fair Fight Action CEO:

“Let's be clear about what this recording reveals: the SAVE Act’s sponsor knew it would make it harder for married women to vote. He admitted his own chief of staff went through bureaucratic “hoops” it would force on millions of women.

“Congressional Republicans have spent months claiming Democratic legislators 'think women are too stupid to get an ID.' This recording proves they know it's about cost, time, and access. Roy said his chief of staff had to make multiple DMV trips – that's gas money, missed work, childcare. During an affordability crisis, the SAVE Act creates a new financial barrier to voting that falls hardest on women who are already stretched thin.”

Key Facts:

• 70 million married women potentially affected: According to Pew Research, roughly 79% of women who marry take their husband's last name. Under the SAVE Act, every one of them would need documentary proof of citizenship with their current legal name to register for federal elections.
• Noncitizen voting is already illegal and virtually nonexistent: The Heritage Foundation's own election fraud database documents fewer than 100 cases of noncitizen voting nationwide over the past 20+ years. The SAVE Act addresses a problem that does not meaningfully exist while creating a real barrier for millions of eligible voters.
• Strongest anti-SAVE Act message with non-MAGA Republicans: New polling from Navigator Research released March 19, 2026 found that this message is the most convincing anti-SAVE Act argument among non-MAGA Republicans. 42% found it convincing. After exposure to messaging, non-MAGA Republican support for the SAVE Act swung 7 points, from net +35 to net +28.

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