The SAVE Act, formally known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, is a bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that requires individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. This means states cannot accept or process voter registration applications for federal elections unless the applicant presents acceptable proof of citizenship, such as a REAL ID-compliant ID indicating U.S. citizenship, a valid U.S. passport, military ID and service record, or other government-issued documents showing citizenship
. Key provisions of the SAVE Act include:
- Prohibiting states from registering individuals to vote in federal elections without documentary proof of citizenship at the time of registration.
- Requiring states to establish an alternative process to allow applicants to submit other evidence if there are discrepancies in their citizenship documents.
- Mandating states to take ongoing steps to ensure only U.S. citizens are registered to vote, including identifying and removing noncitizens from voter rolls.
- Establishing criminal penalties for election officials who register individuals without proper proof of citizenship.
- Allowing private lawsuits against officials who violate these requirements
The bill has been controversial because while it aims to prevent noncitizen voting-which is very rare and illegal-it also creates new barriers to voter registration for many eligible citizens. Over 9% of voting-age U.S. citizens (about 21 million people) do not have ready access to documents proving citizenship, and many citizens, including women who have changed their last names, transgender individuals, and others, may face difficulties providing the required documentation
. The SAVE Act was first introduced in 2024 as H.R. 8281 and passed the House but did not pass the Senate. It was reintroduced in 2025 as H.R. 22 and is currently pending in the House
. In summary, the SAVE Act seeks to tighten voter registration by requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections, aiming to prevent noncitizen voting but raising concerns about disenfranchising millions of eligible voters due to the documentation requirements and potential new registration barriers
