U.S House approves SAVE Act mandating proof of U.S. citizenship for federal voting
The bill is unlikely to progress in the Democrat-controlled Senate due to strong opposition from the Biden administration.
On Wednesday, the House passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which mandates proof of U.S. citizenship to vote in federal elections. The bill received backing from 216 Republicans and five Democrats, including Representatives Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez from Texas, Jared Golden from Maine, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez from Washington. Meanwhile, 198 Democrats opposed the bill.
Mike Johnson, the house speaker, said, “Today, 198 House Democrats voted against preventing illegal aliens from voting in American elections. Over the past four years, Joe Biden has welcomed millions upon millions of illegals into the country, knowing that noncitizens only have to check a box to vote in a federal election.”
He further added, “We have long known this was an intentional effort to turn them into voters, and now the American people know where every member of Congress stands on this critically important issue. House Republicans believe that only Americans should vote in American elections. House Democrats have now proven they believe that illegal aliens should vote in American elections.”
Voter Identification Requirements in the SAVE Act
The legislation mandates that voters present proof of citizenship, such as a passport or a government-issued photo ID verifying U.S. birth. Although the bill passed in the House, it is unlikely to progress in the Democrat-controlled Senate due to strong opposition from the Biden administration, which argues that current measures already prevent noncitizen voting.
Earlier this week, Trump claimed that Democrats are trying to allow noncitizen migrants to vote and encouraged Republicans to pass the legislation. Trump went on Truth Social and wrote, “Republicans must pass the Save Act, or go home and cry yourself to sleep. Non-citizen illegal immigrants are getting the right to vote, being pushed by crooked Democratic politicians who are not being stopped by an equally dishonest Justice Department.”
You might also be interested in – TikTok and ByteDance challenge U.S. ban law in landmark lawsuit
