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House Republicans narrowly passed the SAVE America Act on Wednesday (February 11), approving sweeping changes to federal election rules in a 218–213 vote. All Republicans supported the bill, while Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar was the only Democrat to vote in favor.
The legislation would require Americans to provide documentary proof of citizenship — such as a U.S. passport or birth certificate — when registering to vote in federal elections. It would also mandate photo ID nationwide for in-person voting and tighten rules around mail-in ballots.
Federal law already requires voters to attest to their citizenship under penalty of perjury, and election experts have consistently found that noncitizen voting is extremely rare.
Democrats argue the measure could disenfranchise eligible voters, noting that millions of Americans do not have ready access to citizenship documents and that nearly half of Americans do not hold a valid passport. The bill would also require states to share voter registration data with the Department of Homeland Security to verify citizenship — a provision that has raised privacy concerns among election officials.
“Let me be clear what this is about: It’s about Republicans trying to rig the next election,” Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the Rules Committee, said during a hearing ahead of the floor vote, per the AP. “Republicans are pushing the Save America Act because they want fewer Americans to vote. It’s that simple.”
The bill now heads to the Senate, where it faces significant hurdles. It would need 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, and several Republican senators — including Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — have expressed opposition, citing concerns about federal overreach into state-run elections.
President Donald Trump has publicly backed the legislation, continuing to push claims about election integrity despite no widespread evidence of fraud.
Its future in the Senate remains uncertain.
The legislation lands amid President Trump’s continued calls to “nationalize” elections — a move many legal scholars say would conflict with the Constitution’s delegation of election oversight to the states. If the bill were to clear the Senate, it could significantly alter voter registration processes just months before voters head to the polls.
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