By Our U.S. Correspondent
WASHINGTON D.C. — In a move that has sent shockwaves through the American political landscape, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed the controversial SAVE America Act, a sweeping piece of legislation that would require every voter to provide physical proof of citizenship before casting a ballot in federal elections.
The bill, officially known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, cleared the House on Wednesday with a razor-thin 218-213 vote.
The result was almost entirely along party lines, with Republicans hailing it as a “common sense” victory for election integrity, while Democrats slammed it as a “cynical” attempt to suppress the vote ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.
If signed into law, the act would fundamentally change how Americans register to vote. Currently, voters are required to attest to their citizenship under penalty of perjury, but the new law would demand hard evidence.
Acceptable documents would include:
A valid U.S. passport
A birth certificate (accompanied by photo ID)
A naturalization certificate
Crucially, the bill would effectively end online and mail-in registration for many, as it mandates that proof of citizenship be presented in person to election officials.
Republican Rep. Chip Roy, the bill’s primary sponsor, argued that the measure is necessary to prevent non-citizens from “diluting” the votes of American citizens.
“American citizens, and only American citizens, should decide American elections,” the White House stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter), echoing a key campaign pillar of the Trump administration.
However, critics were quick to point out that non-citizen voting is already illegal and remains exceptionally rare.
“This isn’t about security; it’s about barriers,” said one senior Democratic leader, calling the bill “Jim Crow 2.0.”
Rights groups have warned that the law could disenfranchise up to 21 million Americans who do not have easy access to their birth certificates or passports—particularly low-income voters, the elderly, and students (as student IDs are explicitly barred under the act).
Background: The Road to the Senate
The “SAVE America Act” is a significantly bolstered version of a 2024 bill that stalled in the Senate.
This latest iteration includes even stricter photo ID requirements and mandates that states “purge” their voter rolls of anyone who cannot verify their status through Department of Homeland Security data.
The bill now moves to the Senate, where it faces a “dead on arrival” prediction from many analysts.
Democrats currently hold a narrow majority in the upper chamber and are expected to filibuster the measure.
However, with the 2026 midterms looming, Republicans are keen to use the upcoming vote to force their opponents into a public stance on “election security.”
