House Republicans have passed a stand-alone bill that mandates the requirement of proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections and imposes specific voter roll purging rules on states.
The legislation, named the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, was approved by a vote of 220-208, with only four Democrats supporting the bill.
The big picture: The SAVE Act could potentially burden Americans with paperwork requirements, making voter registration complicated and costly, as pointed out by Representative Joseph Morelle of New York.
- Speaker Mike Johnson from Louisiana previously justified the bill by claiming that there is an intuitive understanding in the Republican Party that non-citizens are voting in U.S. elections.
Zoom in; Several states have faced challenges in enforcing proof of citizenship laws for voting in state and local elections, with Kansas suspending over 22,000 voters due to non-compliance and Arizona struggling with citizenship verification for around 200,000 residents.
- The bill, previously disregarded by the Democratic-led Senate, may gain more traction under a Republican majority, with President Trump supporting the measure. However, overcoming a Democratic filibuster remains a hurdle for its full enactment.
