What Is the SAVE America Act? Voter ID Explained
The SAVE Act would require proof of citizenship and voter ID, raising fears of voter suppression as 21 million Americans lack documents.
The US House of Representatives passed legislation this week that would require voters to provide proof of citizenship when the midterm elections are near.
Under the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE America Act, people would be required to show a valid US passport or birth certificate when registering to vote.
This proposal has raised concerns among some groups, including married people who have changed their names and may not have matching documents.
Democrats say the law prevents eligible voters from voting, while Republicans say it is necessary to prevent voter fraud.
The bill is facing difficulties in the Senate, where it lacks sufficient supporters.
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What are the new requirements?
Under the SAVE Act, Americans will be required to prove they are US citizens when registering to vote. It also requires a valid photo ID before casting a vote.
Some states already require voters to show a valid photo ID at the polling booth. Federal law requires voters to be US citizens in national elections, but this will not require proof of citizenship, as would the proposed legislation.
This bill—a new version of legislation introduced last year that was stalled—creates a process for people whose names have changed to submit additional documents to verify their identity.
This provision has raised particular concerns for those who changed their names after marriage.
Under the legislation, election officials who register a voter without obtaining the required proof of citizenship could face criminal penalties.
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According to the Brennan Center for Justice and the University of Maryland's Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement, approximately 21 million Americans lack readily available documents proving their citizenship, and 2.6 million lack any form of government-issued photo ID.
A Pew Research Center poll last year found that 83% of respondents favored requiring all voters to show government-issued photo identification, including 71% of Democrats or Democratic-leaning voters and 95% of Republicans or Republican-leaning voters.
What does Trump say?
President Donald Trump has repeatedly praised the legislation and encouraged his Republican Party to pass it through both houses of Congress so he can sign it into law.
While supporting the bill, Trump has also repeated the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen. The president says the SAVE Act could prevent this from happening.
The White House posted on social media, "American citizens, and only American citizens, should decide American elections," referring to the president's common refrain that widespread election fraud is rampant. There's no evidence of this.
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Members of the president's party also largely support the legislation.
isconsin Republican Congressman Bryan Steil objected to Democrats' claims that the bill is "voter suppression."
He said, "These accusations are false," and added that a bill is needed to enforce existing laws, especially those that prevent immigrants who are not citizens from voting.
When will the Senate vote?
It's unclear if and when the Senate will vote on the measure.
The legislation passed the House, largely along party lines, by a vote of 218-213.
But Majority Leader John Thune doesn't have the 60 votes needed to pass the bill in the Senate.
Some have urged Thune to change the filibuster rules by lowering the threshold needed to pass the bill.
"There are no votes anywhere near the filibuster, absolutely none," Thune said at a news conference on Tuesday. "So this idea is something, even though it's constantly being put forward. ... It has no future."
Furthermore, Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski said she would not support the measure if it were to be voted on, making it even more difficult to pass.
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