OAN Staff James Meyers
11:40 AM – Thursday, April 10, 2025
For a second time, House Republicans have passed a bill that will require voters to have proof of citizenship in order to vote in federal elections. The previous attempt was blocked by the then-Democrat-led Senate.
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The bill, titled the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act was passed in a 220-208 vote.
It is meant to prevent non-citizens from voting.
The vote included four Democrat representatives who sided with Republicans: Representatives Ed Case of Hawaii, Henry Cuellar of Texas, Jared Golden of Maine, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington.
The bill requires applicants to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a valid passport, a birth certificate, or other forms of identification that prove an individual is a U.S. citizen.
Republican Representative Chip Roy (R-Texas), who introduced the bill, said Thursday “there’s nothing controversial about saying that you should be able to ensure that only citizens vote.”
“There is nothing more sacred under the Constitution than ensuring that the people are able to have the voice in the election of the people that represent them in Washington, and throughout the country,” Roy said.
“Once that is undermined, then people lose faith in the very institutions upon which this is built. This legislation is designed to restore that faith, to save our elections, to save election integrity.”
Meanwhile, Democrats have tried to argue that the bill will make it tougher for Americans to vote.
Rep. Joseph Morelle (D-N.Y.) claimed that senior citizens are especially unlikely to have the required documents, and that “even a military ID” would not qualify as acceptable documentation under the act.
“Republicans would force Americans into a paperwork nightmare, burying voter registration under a mountain of bureaucracy and red tape,” he said.
“Under the SAVE Act, most Americans would be unable to register to vote using their Real ID. Further, under the SAVE Act, almost 70 million American women will be unable to register to vote using their birth certificate simply because they changed their name upon marriage,” he added.
“And the SAVE Act will also have a steep financial cost to American citizens, because, yes, the SAVE Act does allow Americans to use their passports to register to vote. But half of all Americans do not have a passport, and a passport costs $130.”
Last year, Republicans first introduced the bill, with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) saying that while it’s time consuming and difficult to prove that illegal aliens are voting in U.S. elections, it’s something both parties “intuitively” know is happening.
Additionally, in many Democrat-led states, such as California, you’re generally not required to show any identification to vote.
“We all know, intuitively, that a lot of illegals are voting in federal elections. But it’s not been something that is easily provable. We don’t have that number. This legislation will allow us to do exactly that — it will prevent that from happening. And if someone tries to do it, it will now be unlawful within the states,” Johnson said last May.
After being previously blocked by the Democrat-controlled Senate, the bill may have a renewed chance of gaining approval this time around.
The bill should be received more favorably under the GOP majority, especially as it has been championed by President Donald Trump. However, it would still likely need to overcome a Democrat filibuster.
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