Elizabeth Tréhu, MD, is a retired hematologist-oncologist (blood and cancer specialist) who worked in the biotech industry for over 20 years developing new treatments for cancer. She lives in Vienna, Maine, where she is the town health officer for Mount Vernon and Vienna.

I am 65 years old and have voted in every election since I turned 18. My conservative Republican parents took me with them when they voted and impressed upon me that it is our privilege and responsibility as Americans to vote. Sen. Susan Collins now wants to make it more difficult for us to vote.

In November 2025, the voters of Maine overwhelmingly rejected Ballot Question 1, which sought to reduce absentee voting and require certain forms of voter ID. In an off-year election, 492,008 Mainers voted (a very large turnout of 47.4% of registered voters), and 315,008 of us voted “No” on 1, with only 175,751 people voting “Yes.”

Collins has now announced her support for HR 22, the so-called SAVE America Act, which imposes even more severe restrictions on our right to vote. By addressing a fake problem of voting by non-U.S. citizens, the Republican Party is trying to make it harder for all of us to exercise our right to vote.

Maine leads the nation in voter participation, and we should be proud of our safe and fair elections. Many Mainers use absentee ballots because they are elderly, have limited mobility, are active-duty military or work long or unpredictable hours that make it difficult or impossible to get to polling places or town offices during the day.

Under HR 22, everyone registering to vote and those requesting an absentee ballot must “present documentary proof of United States citizenship in person to the office of the appropriate election official.” Voting by non-citizens is fake news. The pro-Trump Heritage Foundation’s database of election crimes listed only 24 instances of noncitizens voting in U.S. elections from 2003 to 2023. Examination of Utah, Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan, Georgia, voting records all confirmed that voting by non-citizens is incredibly rare.

Under HR 22, documentary proof of U.S. citizenship is very restrictive and includes only valid U.S. passports, or a military ID if accompanied by a United States military record of service showing that the applicant’s place of birth was in the United States.

A valid government-issued photo identification card issued by a federal, state or tribal government showing that the applicant’s place of birth was in the United States may be used only if presented together with one or more of the following:

• A certified birth certificate issued by a state, a unit of local government in a state or a tribal government.
• An extract from a United States hospital record of birth created at the time of the applicant’s birth that indicates that the applicant’s place of birth was in the United States.
• Final adoption decree showing the applicant’s name and that the applicant’s place of birth was in the United States.
• A consular report of birth abroad of a citizen of the United States or a certification of the applicant’s report of birth of a United States citizen issued by the secretary of state.
• A naturalization certificate or certificate of citizenship issued by the secretary of homeland security or any other document or method of proof of United States citizenship issued by the federal government pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act.
• An American Indian card issued by the Department of Homeland Security with the classification “KIC.”

In 2024, only 46.1% of Maine residents had a valid U.S. passport. Even REAL ID Maine drivers licenses do not say where we were born. Do you have a certified birth certificate?

Voting is one of our most fundamental rights. Susan Collins is ignoring our votes on Ballot Question 1 and wants to make it harder for us to vote.