GOP lawmakers and their Christian supporters say the SAVE America Act will keep non-Americans from voting. Critics say the bill’s true purpose is making it harder for millions of Americans — including Blacks, women and the poor — to vote.
The SAVE Act would require voters nationwide to have proof of citizenship and a photo ID. The bill passed in the House of Representatives last week in a largely party-line 218-213 vote but faces an uncertain future in the Senate, where the GOP has a 53-seat majority but needs 60 votes to pass the measure.
House Speaker Mike Johnson celebrated House passage of the bill in a news release, saying, “The only people that oppose it are people who want to cheat our system, who want to participate in our elections illegally unlawfully.”
The Family Research Council’s lobbying arm suggested God approved the bill.
The Family Research Council’s lobbying arm suggested God approved the bill: “God is a God of order, and the body of Christ must stand firm against this tide of doubt and deception with faithful patriots united to protect the sanctity of the rule of law.”
Liberty University’s Standing for Freedom Center cited the Great Replacement Theory, claiming Democrats want to replace white voters with illegal immigrants and criminals: “Should American citizens choose their representatives, or should those representatives be chosen by MS13 gang members or even drug and human traffickers? This is no exaggeration. Many states without voter ID laws allowed these same people to vote in their elections.”
It is illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections and statistics show it also is extremely rare. The Bipartisan Policy Center cites Utah’s recent review of its voter registration rolls. The review of 2 million registered voters found one confirmed case of noncitizen registration and zero cases of noncitizen voting.
The SAVE Act is opposed by Democrats, the League of Women Voters, pro-democracy organizations and the conservative outlet National Review: “The SAVE Act aims at a virtuous and popular end: Ensuring that only U.S. citizens vote in federal elections. And many of the criticisms of the bill are overblown. But the SAVE Act continues a step in the wrong direction in federalizing elections.”
The U.S. Constitution says states control elections, but President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for “nationalizing elections” and bringing them under federal control. Trump also ordered the FBI to seize Georgia ballots in his quest to prove his false claims that the 2020 election was rigged. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice is seeking voter data from other states.
The League of Women Voters opposed earlier versions of the SAVE Act and the amended version that passed last week: “It is already illegal for noncitizens to register and vote in federal or state elections. Requiring documentary proof of American citizenship to register to vote in federal elections is unnecessary and seeks to divide us. It simply creates another barrier to voting.”
“It is already illegal for noncitizens to register and vote in federal or state elections.”
The League said the SAVE Act would burden many voters including:
- Military voters who would need documentation every time they re-register to vote after a move
- Married women and other Americans who have changed their names because the SAVE Act does not accept marriage licenses as a valid form of ID
- People of color, who are less likely than white people to have birth certificates, passports or other required documents.
The legislation would require some states to make costly changes in how they run elections without any federal funding.
The Brennan Center for Justice said the SAVE Act is part of Trump’s “power grab” and would create burdens for “more than 21 million Americans (who) lack ready access to those documents.”
“Make no mistake: The SAVE Act would stop millions of American citizens from voting,” said the Brennan Center. “It would be the most restrictive voting bill ever passed by Congress. It is Trump’s power grab in legislative garb.”
Polls by Pew and Gallup show more than 80% of Americans favor some form of voter ID.
Trump claims the bill is “popular with everyone” except for “radical left Democrat politicians.”
The Family Research Council promotes the SAVE Act by raising “serious allegations of election fraud” in 2020 that have been rejected by courts.
“I sincerely hope the FBI is able to get to the bottom of the numerous, serious allegations of election fraud,” said FRC’s Tony Perkins. “To ensure future elections do not operate under a cloud of scandal and lack of transparency, accountability is vital in restoring the trust of voters.”
FRC’s election integrity efforts have been led by Jody Hice, a former Southern Baptist pastor and former U.S. representative from Georgia who sought to overturn 2020 election results.
Trump says he will change the way states do elections, even without congressional support, through an executive order. “There will be Voter I.D. for the Midterm Elections, whether approved by Congress or not!”
The president does not have such power.