What is the SAVE America Act, and how could it change US voting?
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Caitlin Babcock Staff writer
Republicans in Congress are pushing to pass a bill that would impose new requirements on people registering to vote, and it could affect people updating their registrations.
The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to approve the , which would require people to show proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and a government-issued photo ID to cast a ballot. The requirements are widely popular among Americans but are strongly opposed by Democrats, who say they would prevent millions from voting.
The bill has been a priority of Republicans for years. They say it鈥檚 necessary to stop noncitizens from registering and voting, something data shows does occur but is rare enough not to influence election outcomes.
Why We Wrote This
The SAVE America Act would require Americans to prove citizenship before voting in federal elections, and Republicans are eyeing a new strategy to advance it. Opponents say it would disenfranchise millions.
The latest iteration comes at a time when the Trump administration, which supports the bill, has criticized the integrity of America鈥檚 elections ahead of this year鈥檚 congressional midterms. President Donald Trump has made similar criticisms ahead of other presidential elections.
On Jan. 28, the FBI moved to seize cast ballots and other 2020 voting records from an election center in Fulton County, Georgia. In recent months, the Justice Department has demanded complete voter registration lists from almost every state. Roughly two dozen states have rejected this request. Many states prohibit the disclosure of voter data without a court order.
On Sunday, Mr. Trump Republicans in Congress to fight for the SAVE America Act. Despite his claims of a 鈥渟tolen鈥� election, no evidence of fraud has surfaced that would call into question the results of the 2020 election, which Mr. Trump lost to Joe Biden.
What is the SAVE America Act, and what鈥檚 in it?
The bill is the latest version of the SAVE America Act, properly known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, which passed the House in April but stalled in the Senate.
Under the bill, most people would need a passport or birth certificate to register to vote. Additional options include military IDs and records of service, as well as offered in a handful of states. People who submit voter registration forms by mail would still need to present proof of citizenship in person.
The bill also requires people to present a photo ID to cast their ballot. states have some form of voter ID law, but the SAVE America Act would impose stricter provisions than most of those laws, according to experts.
People could still vote by absentee ballot in federal elections if they attached a copy of an acceptable photo ID to their ballot request and submission forms.
Most Americans approve of the bill鈥檚 core provisions. In a 2024 Gallup 84% of respondents supported requiring voters to present a photo ID at their voting places, and 83% supported requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote.
Walter Olson, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, says voter ID laws tend to make little impact. Studies show they have neither greatly reduced fraud nor caused wide-scale disenfranchisement.
But Mr. Olson says requiring people to show documents proving they鈥檙e citizens when registering to vote puts a greater burden on potential voters and could have unintended consequences.
For example, election workers could face criminal penalties under the proposed law if they register someone who 鈥渇ails to present documentary proof鈥� of citizenship. The law also directs states to devise a way to verify people鈥檚 citizenship if they can鈥檛 access the required documents. Because that process could create vagaries and complications for election workers, it might be easier 鈥� and less risky 鈥� to just say 鈥渘o.鈥欌��
鈥淭he practical effect ... is to instill a big old bias toward not accepting documents,鈥� says Mr. Olson.
What is the path forward in Congress?
In January, Republican Reps. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida and Tim Burchett of Tennessee threatened to vote against passing a government funding package unless the SAVE America Act was attached. Both backed down after pressure from the White House.
If it passes the House this week, the bill is expected to stall in the Senate, where it would need at least seven Democratic votes to break a filibuster. Ms. Luna plans to try to attach the measure to a must-pass intelligence funding bill in April.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York called the provision 鈥渄ead on arrival.鈥�
Democrats say the bill is unnecessary given that it is already illegal and rare for noncitizens to vote in federal elections, according to organizations including the and Democrats also worry it will disenfranchise voters who can鈥檛 access documents that prove citizenship. A 2024 Brennan Center found 9% of Americans of voting age either didn鈥檛 possess documents to prove their citizenship or didn鈥檛 have them readily available.
Experts say those most likely to be affected include conservative would-be voters, who are less likely than Democrats to hold a passport. Conservative women are also more likely to change their last names when they marry, creating complications when using a birth certificate as identification.
The bill鈥檚 opponents also say its requirement to present proof of citizenship in person could disproportionately affect certain groups.
For example, says Gr茅ta Bedekovics, the director of democracy at the Center for American Progress, would-be voters in rural states might have to drive long distances simply to register to vote. She worries it would leave staffers in many election offices 鈥渃ompletely overwhelmed.鈥�
Republicans such as Ms. Luna say the bill is needed to protect the rights of American voters.
鈥淏oth parties do have a vested interest in making sure that all eligible citizens and only eligible citizens can register and vote in federal elections,鈥� says Rachel Orey, director of the Bipartisan Policy Center鈥檚 Elections Project. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an integrity measure, and it鈥檚 also a voter protection measure.鈥�
That said, Orey worries the SAVE America Act could create new barriers for eligible voters. They cite a study that found that a three-year proof-of-citizenship mandate in Kansas barred more than 35,000 people from the state鈥檚 rolls.
How does the bill tie into Trump鈥檚 rhetoric about nationalizing elections?
President Trump has repeatedly claimed 鈥� without evidence 鈥� that widespread voter fraud caused his loss in 2020.
Last March, he signed an requiring documentary proof of citizenship for voting registration. But large portions of that order have since been blocked by federal judges after multiple states and voting rights groups sued.
In an interview last week, Mr. Trump accused 15 unnamed states of being 鈥渃rooked鈥� and urged Republicans in Congress to 鈥渢ake over鈥� voting procedures in these states and 鈥渘ationalize the voting.鈥� He also said last week that if states can鈥檛 run elections, Congress should step in. No evidence has emerged to back his claims about states鈥� abilities to run fair elections. Under the Constitution, states are primarily responsible for governing elections.
Some experts on election integrity are voicing concerns that the president is laying the groundwork for efforts to pressure state election systems in his own party鈥檚 advantage this fall 鈥� or to challenge some midterm outcomes that don鈥檛 go Republicans鈥� way.
鈥淔or anybody who doubted that this administration is laying the foundation to interfere in elections, the deluge of activity over the last two weeks should lay those doubts to rest,鈥� Wendy Weiser, vice president for democracy at the Brennan Center for Justice, told Vox on Monday.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has said the president鈥檚 comments referred to his desire for Congress to pass the SAVE America Act. The president never referenced the bill, which does not contain specific language about nationalizing elections.
Editor's note: This story, originally published Feb. 10, has been updated to reflect the House vote on Feb. 11 and that the bill no longer requires people to show proof of citizenship to vote.
