The US Senate has been debating the “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act” since March 17, known as the “SAVE America” law. The text aims to change the voting process in federal elections by requiring the presentation of official documents, such as a birth certificate or passport, to register and vote, rather than just checking a box attesting to citizenship.
Donald Trump has deemed the “SAVE America” law one of the most important in Congressional history and has warned that he will not sign any other legislation until it has been adopted.
The law seeks to reshape the federal 1993 Voter Registration Act and includes civil and criminal penalties for public officials who register voters without the required documents. It also mandates states to provide sensitive voter data to the Department of Homeland Security for review.
The official argument is to prevent non-citizens from voting, although only 85 complaints of non-citizen voting have been documented in the past twenty years.
In Ohio, out of over 8.1 million voters, 597 possible cases of non-citizens registering were reported, with 138 actually voting. Texas recorded 2,724 possible non-citizens out of 18.6 million voters. Despite these low numbers compared to total voter registration, the White House continues its push.
Key points of the proposed changes include the requirement for US citizens to provide a passport or certified birth certificate to prove citizenship when registering to vote. However, these requirements may not be accessible to all citizens, as only about 53% of the US population holds a passport.
Furthermore, the law also impacts absentee voting, asking for identification documents when requesting and returning mail-in ballots. There are attempts to restrict mail-in voting to cases of illness, disability, or military service by Republicans, although not specified in the current draft.
Critics argue that the law could disenfranchise over 21 million Americans due to difficulties in accessing the required documents. The law may especially affect vulnerable groups, such as young first-time voters, married women with name changes, or those with mobility issues.
As the debate continues in the Senate with no clear resolution in sight, several Republican-led states are creating their own citizenship proof requirements for voting, hinting at a scenario where the 2026 electoral battle plays out in courts and voter registration offices across the states.
