SAVE America Act Stalls In Senate As States Push Their Own Citizenship Checks

Overview

• The bill remains stalled in the Senate, which needs 60 votes to advance the House-passed measure despite public backing from the White House.
• The proposal would end online and mail voter registration and require people to show proof of U.S. citizenship in person using a passport, a birth certificate with photo ID, naturalization papers, or a consular report, and it would not accept standard driver’s licenses or REAL ID.
• Voting-rights groups warn that many eligible voters could be blocked or delayed because about 21 million citizens lack ready proof-of-citizenship documents, passports can cost $165, rural residents may face long drives to an elections office, and people who changed their names may need extra records like marriage certificates.
• Recent checks show noncitizen voting is rare, with Nevada reporting three illegal noncitizen ballots out of 1.1 million cast in 2016 and Utah finding one noncitizen in a 2026 statewide review.
• Several states have already moved ahead with look-alike laws, with Florida, Mississippi, South Dakota, and Utah adopting proof-of-citizenship or verification steps that create different state rules even as the federal plan is on hold.