Voting Rights Groups: Bill Passed by House Could Disenfranchise Millions

The House of Representatives on Thursday passed the SAVE Act, one of President Trump's top legislative priorities, which would require proof of US citizenship for voter registration. Republicans say the controversial measure is meant to combat noncitizen voting—which is already both illegal and rare, the AP reports. Its fate in the Senate is uncertain, given that the Republican majority in the chamber is not big enough to avoid a filibuster. Four Democrats (Jared Golden of Maine, Ed Case of Hawaii, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Henry Cuellar of Texas) joined Republicans in the 220-208 House vote, the New Republic reports.

The legislation, which would not impact currently registered voters but could potentially affect those needing to update their registration, necessitates documentary proof of citizenship in order to register to vote—such as a REAL ID-compliant driver's license (as long as it indicates the holder is a citizen, which not all do) or a valid US passport. Critics argue this could disenfranchise individuals lacking easy access to such documents, with some voting rights groups warning that millions could be disenfranchised.

Democratic state officials have also expressed concern over the potential elimination of online or automatic registration systems, and some women whose birth certificates and IDs don't match may be required to also show a marriage certificate in order to establish a link between two different last names if the bill becomes law. (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)