On April 10, 2025, the Republican-led House passed the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act by a margin of 220-208. Texas Rep. Chip Roy introduced legislation requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. As this has been a concern for many from the past 3-5 elections, it is good that Congress is trying to curtail this fraud.
Opposition
The majority of Democrats voted against this bill. However, four did vote to pass it: Rep. Ed Case (HI), Rep. Henry Cuellar (TX), Rep. Jared Golden (ME), and Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA).
What It Does
While America has demanded proof of citizenship in the past, there was no backing it up. The 1993 National Voter Registration Act required that a voter prove his citizenship to register to vote. This new bill says that states must check information about newly registered voters in federal elections against data stored in the state’s motor vehicle administration database. Individuals who do not have a driver’s license identification number can instead provide the last four digits of his Social Security number.
However, foreign nationals can obtain both documents, so neither confirms citizenship. This system of allowing noncitizens to vote has permitted thousands to vote nationwide.
The SAVE Act now heads to the Senate for a vote.
