The U.S. Senate on Tuesday began consideration of the SAVE America Act, a sweeping election overhaul that would introduce new proof-of-citizenship requirements to register to vote, among its provisions.
The Republican-backed legislation is a top priority for President Trump, who has long railed — falsely — about widespread voting by non-U.S citizens. And while the bill is unlikely to overcome Democratic opposition and the Senate's legislative filibuster, GOP-led states have taken up the cause.
Proof-of-citizenship bills are now sitting on governors' desks in Florida, South Dakota and Utah. Those follow similar laws passed in recent years in Louisiana, New Hampshire and Wyoming, according to the Voting Rights Lab, which tracks election policy, and narrower measures in places like Ohio.
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Arizona has long had a bifurcated registration system, with proof of citizenship required to vote in state and local elections. Some other state laws have been blocked by courts.
It's already illegal for noncitizens to vote in state and federal elections, and reviews have found noncitizen voting to be vanishingly rare, yet Trump and other Republicans have remained fixated on the issue in recent years. Proponents of the SAVE Act and its state-level replicas say documentary proof of citizenship is needed to maintain election security.
Opponents counter that such measures are not worth the risk of disenfranchising some portion of the millions of Americans who say they don't have easy access to documents that prove citizenship, like a valid U.S. passport or certified birth certificate — especially in the middle of a critical election year.
The SAVE America Act would take effect immediately, upending election administration. Bills in South Dakota and Utah would also take effect ahead of this year's midterms, according to the Voting Rights Lab. The main provisions in Florida's bill, however, wouldn't take effect until 2027.
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