House Passes 'SAVE Act' Election Law
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the SAVE America Act, a law that would require documentary proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections. According to a podcast analysis, the act could create significant administrative barriers for voters by shifting the burden of verification from government agencies to individuals. The legislation is expected to become a point of contention in upcoming elections.
- The SAVE (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility) Act, introduced by Representative Chip Roy, would amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. It passed the House on a nearly party-line vote of 218-213. - Under the act, states would be prohibited from accepting a voter registration application for a federal election without documentary proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, passport, or naturalization certificate. Currently, voters must attest to their citizenship under penalty of perjury, but are not required to provide documentary proof. - The bill also mandates that individuals voting in person present a photo ID. For absentee or mail-in ballots, voters would need to include a copy of their ID or provide the last four digits of their Social Security number along with a signed affidavit. - Opponents argue the law would create significant barriers for eligible voters, noting that millions of American citizens do not have ready access to required documents. For example, while about half of all American adults have a passport, two-thirds of Black Americans do not. - Proponents contend the measure is necessary to prevent voter fraud and ensure only eligible citizens are on voter rolls. The bill would require states to check their voter rolls against Department of Homeland Security data to identify and remove any registered non-citizens. - A previous version of the bill passed the House in 2024 but did not advance in the Senate. The current bill also faces an unlikely path in the Senate and opposition from the Biden administration. - The legislation would expose election officials to new legal risks, establishing criminal penalties for any official who registers an applicant who did not present documentary proof of citizenship, even if the applicant is a U.S. citizen. It also authorizes private individuals to sue election officials they believe are not complying with the law. - A similar proof-of-citizenship law in Kansas was blocked by a federal court in 2018 after it prevented over 30,000 potential voter registrants from voting in just two years. Arizona is currently the only state that has a "federal-only" ballot for those who register to vote without providing documentary proof of citizenship.
