BREAKING: SAVE Act making it illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections passes House

On Wednesday, the House voted to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which seeks to amend the National Voter Registration Act by requiring states to obtain proof of citizenship for individuals voting in federal elections. The bill would also require states to ensure non-citizens are not on their voter rolls and impose penalties of up to five years in prison for any election official who registers non-citizens.

The bill was passed by House Republicans along with a number of Democrats. It now heads to the Senate, where it is likely to be ignored by the Democratic majority that has been vocal in its opposition towards voter identification. President Joe Biden has also said he would veto the bill if it were to be passed in the Senate.

Democrats have continued to push back against GOP efforts to implement a voter identification law for federal elections. Previously, House Democrats were instructed by Minority Whip Katherine Clark’s office to vote against it, arguing that it would create an “extreme burden for countless Americans.”

Since Clark’s call, more Democrats have spoken out, though their reasoning against requiring voters to show proof of citizenship has been varied and has lacked compelling arguments.

Illinois Representative Delia Ramirez called the requirement “a discriminatory rule rooted in fear and division.” She and other Democrats have argued that Republicans have not provided sufficient examples of non-citizens voting. However, Speaker Mike Johnson has released a 22-page report justifying the SAVE Act, citing multiple instances of non-citizens being removed from voter rolls in various states.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the SAVE Act an “extreme MAGA Republican voter suppression bill.” He further claimed that the GOP bill is not designed to solve problems for the American people and instead is designed to “jam people up” and “prevent Americans from voting.”

In the past, Democrats have argued that voter identification laws are “racist,” and that black Americans have a harder time obtaining IDs than their white counterparts. When Georgia passed a new voting law in 2021, President Joe Biden described it as “Jim Crow in the 21st century” and a “blatant attack on the Constitution.”