As Missouri voters prepare to vote in local elections Tuesday, a bill making its way through Congress may make it harder for some to vote in future elections.

The U.S. House is currently considering the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE Act. The bill would require eligible voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship to vote in federal elections.

The SAVE Act’s purpose is to combat voter fraud, but many studies haven’t shown evidence that widespread voter fraud exists.

Missouri law does not require proof of citizenship to register to vote. Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon said the bill would require Missouri counties to create two different registration forms — one that includes federal ballot measures and one that doesn’t.

"We would have to create two sets of ballots. We would have to track two systems," Lennon said. "It is not an ideal process for trying to keep voter lists clean.”

Lennon said that the SAVE Act would complicate and prolong the registration process, yet the act does not provide federal funding for the new responsibilities it creates.

The SAVE Act would also create criminal penalties for election officials who mistakenly register someone without proof of citizenship. Kurt Bahr, the county clerk for St. Charles County, said that would have a chilling effect on the office.

“It would be really difficult for me to tell my staff, ‘Process this voter registration. You might go to jail if you do it, but you have to do it because it’s your job,'" Bahr said.

Voting rights groups have argued that the SAVE Act would disenfranchise people. Over 9% of U.S. citizens do not have proof of citizenship readily available, according to a study by the Brennan Center for Justice and other groups.

Not all officials are concerned. Audrain County Clerk Lisa Smith said that this would not be a problem for her county because most of the people in Audrain County are citizens. She also said if there was a problem, it would fall on the responsibility of the individual and not her office.

The U.S. House Committee on Rules is set to discuss the bill Monday. Missouri lawmakers are considering a similar bill that would require voters to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote.