The US House of Representatives approved a Republican Party proposal that requires Americans to provide proof of citizenship to register to vote. The bill, which faces strong resistance in the Senate, is part of a broader effort by the White House to reform the electoral system, before the decisive midterm elections in November. What changes are Republicans looking for before the midterms? We address it.

First modification: 02/12/2026 - 18:34 Last modification: 02/12/2026 - 20:39

Republicans in the House of Representatives approved a bill that imposes new proof of citizenship requirements on American voters, with an eye on next November's midterm elections, which will renew the House of Representatives and part of the Senate.

The law, titled 'Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act' (SAVE) - was supported in a largely partisan debate, with 218 votes in favor and 213 against.

The measure constitutes a remastered version of election legislation that emerged during Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.

The SAVE Act amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 by requiring anyone who registers on the voter rolls to provide “documentary evidence of U.S. citizenship.”

After approval by the House of Representatives, the measure goes to the Senate, where it is difficult for it to gather the 60 votes necessary to avoid the filibuster or obstruction procedure.

The Donald Trump Administration is simultaneously promoting the so-called MEGA Law, which apart from the requirements included in the SAVE Act, seeks a deeper reform of the electoral system.

Also read"Law to Make Elections Great Again": is Trump seeking to tip the balance in his favor?

What changes does the law propose?

The Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act requires voters to prove their citizenship when registering to vote, primarily through a valid U.S. ID or passport or a birth or naturalization certificate.

Additionally, election authorities would require valid photo identification on Election Day, a requirement already enforced by some states. Although federal election law currently requires voters to be U.S. citizens, there is no requirement to provide documentary evidence.

Under the SAVE Act, states will be required to conduct programs to verify and remove noncitizens from electoral rolls, using federal databases and other sources.

Republicans justify the reforms in the interest of electoral transparency, in a context in which their leader, Donald Trump, continues to falsely declare himself a victim of "fraud" in the 2020 elections against Joe Biden, which led to the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Supporters of the SAVE Act cite opinion polls, including one from the Pew Research Center showing that 83% of voters, including 71% of Democrats, support photo identification for voters.

Wisconsin Republican Bryan Steil, in charge of presenting the proposal in the parliamentary session, defended that "the current law is not strict enough", which is why he promoted the SAVE Act as an essential tool to guarantee compliance with current regulations, particularly that which prevents non-naturalized immigrants from voting.

Steil talks about "regaining Americans' confidence in elections," even though non-citizen voting in federal elections is already prohibited by the US Constitution and federal laws.

What are the arguments against the 'SAVE Act'?

Democrats who oppose the measure argue that it could hinder the right to vote for millions of Americans, such as married women who have changed their last name.

The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law estimated in a 2023 report that 9% of voting-age US citizens, or 21.3 million people, do not have proof of citizenship on hand. In addition, almost half of Americans do not have a passport.

For this reason, critics of electoral reform accuse Republicans of creating unnecessary barriers for some voters, taking into account that non-citizen suffrage is extremely rare and considered a federal crime.

Even so, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is demanding electoral rolls from states such as Georgia or Michigan, where a federal judge this week dismissed the request.

"I want to be clear: Republicans are trying to manipulate the next election"

Additionally, government secretaries from several of those states have expressed concern that voters' personal data is shared by the Department of Justice with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to verify citizenship.

Critics of the SAVE Act add that the fact that states share their voter information with the DHS can lead to an intrusion into people's privacy, amid a resurgence of ICE raids to increase the numbers of deportations of immigrants without regular status.

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"I want to be clear: Republicans are trying to rig the upcoming election," Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, the ranking Democrat on the House Rules Committee, said during a hearing ahead of Wednesday's floor vote. "Republicans are pushing the Save America Act because they want fewer Americans to vote. It's that simple," he concluded.

"These accusations are false," responded Bryan Steil, Republican of Wisconsin, after ensuring that the SAVE Act does not seek "voter suppression."

Two laws to influence the 'midterms'?

The SAVE Act is not the only legislative proposal with which the Republican Party, at the request of Donald Trump, is promoting a change in electoral rules, in the run-up to the midterm elections in November, in which it will be defined whether the president maintains the majority in both chambers of Congress, which until now has allowed him to govern with broad powers.

The first week of February, the Republicans presented another broader bill, while the president advocated that, contrary to what the Constitution establishes, the federal Executive should supervise the elections.

The Make Elections Great Again Act (MEGA) is a more ambitious legislative package. While it contains citizenship verification provisions similar to those in the SAVE Act, it also includes mandatory physical ballots, restrictions on voting by mail, and a ban on ranked-choice voting in general elections.

Democrats opposed the entire project, considering that it "manipulates" the rules before the 2026 elections, in the words of Joe Morelle, top Democrat on the House Administration Committee.

Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic leader in the House, maintained that "Republicans do not want free and fair elections because they know that if that happens, they are going to lose."

The MEGA Act would also prohibit voters from handing over sealed ballots to third parties for transport to the polling place, a practice currently allowed in 18 states.

With AP and local media

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