February 6, 2026 / 6:00 AM EST
/ CBS News
Washington — A new Republican push to pass an elections-related bill known as the SAVE America Act is underway in Congress, as Democrats warn the proposal could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters.
Titled the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE America Act, the bill would require Americans to show proof of citizenship in person to register to vote in federal elections, and implement photo ID requirements for voting.
Though the legislation is aimed at preventing noncitizens from casting ballots, some experts have argued that the bill would have implications for millions of Americans who don't have access to certain documents, like a passport or their birth certificate, or who have changed their names.Â
Republicans in Congress have tried to get iterations of the measure passed through both chambers for years. The House has passed earlier versions of the SAVE America Act twice, but the effort hasn't gone anywhere in the Senate — where a 60-vote threshold for advancing most legislation makes passing partisan bills much more difficult.
"As much as this bill seeks to protect against a nearly non-existent problem (non-citizen voting), in service of conspiracy theories, what's truly ironic is that the bill could have a far more detrimental effect on Republican voters, who often lack the multiple documents (particularly passports) at much higher rates than Democrats," said David Becker, a CBS News election law contributor and executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research.
The SAVE America Act would amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.
The legislation would require documentation that shows an individual was born in the U.S., including either:
The legislation would also require those who submit voter registration forms by mail to present proof of citizenship in person.Â
It directs states to establish a process for individuals who cannot provide proof of citizenship, including a signed attestation under penalty of perjury that the individual is a citizen and eligible to vote, alongside other evidence to demonstrate citizenship. A state or local official would then be required to sign an affidavit affirming that the person has sufficiently established U.S. citizenship.
The bill requires states to take steps to ensure only U.S. citizens are registered to vote, including by establishing a program in which the state will identify individuals who are not U.S. citizens using data from the Department of Homeland Security, the Social Security Administration, state agencies or other sources.Â
The latest version of the bill would also implement a requirement that voters show photo ID to cast a ballot, a change from earlier iterations. Absentee ballots would need to be accompanied by a copy of a photo ID. If the ID does not indicate the person is a citizen, they would need proof of citizenship documents to vote, unless a state has submitted its voter registration list to DHS and has indicated that the voter has been verified as a citizen.
"This is a show-your-papers policy that would require something like a passport or a birth certificate to register to vote for the vast majority of people," said Eliza Sweren-Becker, deputy director of the Brennan Center's Voting Rights and Elections Program.
The Trump administration has demanded complete voter registration lists from nearly every state and the District of Columbia. The lists include sensitive information like voters' addresses, birth dates and partial Social Security numbers.
At least 11 states have either turned over the voter rolls or said they intend to provide the information to the government, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. The Justice Department has filed lawsuits against 24 states and the District of Columbia, which have refused to hand over the information. Courts in California and Oregon have rejected the administration's bids for sensitive voter information from those states.
Not legally, and instances of noncitizens voting are rare.Â
In 1996, Congress passed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, which tightened federal immigration laws and made it illegal for any noncitizen to vote in federal elections. Violators face up to one year in prison.
A handful of municipalities in three states — California, Maryland and Vermont — and the District of Columbia allow noncitizens to vote in local elections.
Some states in recent years have examined the scope of voting by noncitizens. A citizenship audit of Georgia's voter rolls conducted in 2024 found that 20 of the state's 8.2 million registered voters were not citizens, according to its secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger. An additional 156 people required further investigation into their citizenship status.
In Ohio, Secretary of State Frank LaRose said in 2024 that a c
/ CBS News
Washington — A new Republican push to pass an elections-related bill known as the SAVE America Act is underway in Congress, as Democrats warn the proposal could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters.
Titled the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE America Act, the bill would require Americans to show proof of citizenship in person to register to vote in federal elections, and implement photo ID requirements for voting.
Though the legislation is aimed at preventing noncitizens from casting ballots, some experts have argued that the bill would have implications for millions of Americans who don't have access to certain documents, like a passport or their birth certificate, or who have changed their names.Â
Republicans in Congress have tried to get iterations of the measure passed through both chambers for years. The House has passed earlier versions of the SAVE America Act twice, but the effort hasn't gone anywhere in the Senate — where a 60-vote threshold for advancing most legislation makes passing partisan bills much more difficult.
"As much as this bill seeks to protect against a nearly non-existent problem (non-citizen voting), in service of conspiracy theories, what's truly ironic is that the bill could have a far more detrimental effect on Republican voters, who often lack the multiple documents (particularly passports) at much higher rates than Democrats," said David Becker, a CBS News election law contributor and executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research.
The SAVE America Act would amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.
The legislation would require documentation that shows an individual was born in the U.S., including either:
The legislation would also require those who submit voter registration forms by mail to present proof of citizenship in person.Â
It directs states to establish a process for individuals who cannot provide proof of citizenship, including a signed attestation under penalty of perjury that the individual is a citizen and eligible to vote, alongside other evidence to demonstrate citizenship. A state or local official would then be required to sign an affidavit affirming that the person has sufficiently established U.S. citizenship.
The bill requires states to take steps to ensure only U.S. citizens are registered to vote, including by establishing a program in which the state will identify individuals who are not U.S. citizens using data from the Department of Homeland Security, the Social Security Administration, state agencies or other sources.Â
The latest version of the bill would also implement a requirement that voters show photo ID to cast a ballot, a change from earlier iterations. Absentee ballots would need to be accompanied by a copy of a photo ID. If the ID does not indicate the person is a citizen, they would need proof of citizenship documents to vote, unless a state has submitted its voter registration list to DHS and has indicated that the voter has been verified as a citizen.
"This is a show-your-papers policy that would require something like a passport or a birth certificate to register to vote for the vast majority of people," said Eliza Sweren-Becker, deputy director of the Brennan Center's Voting Rights and Elections Program.
The Trump administration has demanded complete voter registration lists from nearly every state and the District of Columbia. The lists include sensitive information like voters' addresses, birth dates and partial Social Security numbers.
At least 11 states have either turned over the voter rolls or said they intend to provide the information to the government, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. The Justice Department has filed lawsuits against 24 states and the District of Columbia, which have refused to hand over the information. Courts in California and Oregon have rejected the administration's bids for sensitive voter information from those states.
Not legally, and instances of noncitizens voting are rare.Â
In 1996, Congress passed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, which tightened federal immigration laws and made it illegal for any noncitizen to vote in federal elections. Violators face up to one year in prison.
A handful of municipalities in three states — California, Maryland and Vermont — and the District of Columbia allow noncitizens to vote in local elections.
Some states in recent years have examined the scope of voting by noncitizens. A citizenship audit of Georgia's voter rolls conducted in 2024 found that 20 of the state's 8.2 million registered voters were not citizens, according to its secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger. An additional 156 people required further investigation into their citizenship status.
In Ohio, Secretary of State Frank LaRose said in 2024 that a c