The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation Wednesday requiring photo identification to vote and documentary proof of citizenship to register in federal elections, sending the Trump-backed measure to the Senate where it faces steep opposition.
The SAVE America Act passed 218 to 213, with all Republicans voting in favor and all but one Democrat voting against it. Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar was the sole Democrat to support the bill.
Sponsored by Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy and Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee, the legislation would require states to obtain documentary proof of citizenship in person when registering voters, such as a passport or birth certificate. It would also mandate photo identification for in-person voting and require copies of eligible IDs for mail-in ballot requests.
"This legislation is a critical step toward restoring election integrity by ensuring only U.S. citizens are voting in federal elections and are showing ID," Roy said in a statement following the vote.
The measure builds on an earlier version passed by the House in April 2025 that required proof of citizenship for voter registration but did not include the photo ID requirement. That bill never received a Senate vote.
Democrats argued the new requirements would disenfranchise eligible voters. Research from the Brennan Center for Justice indicates approximately 21 million Americans do not have documents proving citizenship readily available, and 2.6 million lack government-issued photo identification.
"The so-called SAVE Act is not about voter identification, it is about voter suppression," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said.
The bill faces a difficult path in the Senate, where Republicans hold 53 seats but would need seven Democrats to reach the 60-vote threshold to overcome a filibuster. At least two Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, have expressed opposition or concerns about the legislation.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the proposal "Jim Crow type laws" and said it is "dead on arrival in the Senate."
Voting by non-citizens is already illegal under federal law, and documented cases of non-citizen voting are rare. Polls show voter ID requirements have broad public support, with a Pew Research Center survey finding 83% of Americans favor requiring government-issued photo identification to vote.
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