Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (H.R. 22)

Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (H.R. 22)

Title: Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE Act)

Brief Description: The SAVE Act is a federal bill that has passed the House of Representatives and is awaiting Senate action. It would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.

Sponsors:

Lead Sponsors - Rep. Chip Roy

Cosponsors - Andrew Garbarino, Nicole Malliotakis, Brad Finstad, Andrew Clyde, Clay Higgins, Diana Harshbarger, Nancy Mace, Kat Cammack, Eric Burlison, Andrew Ogles

Brief History:

Committee Activity:

Passed House 4/10/25

Is still in the Senate

Senate Committee on Rules and Administration

Senate Majority Report:

Is still being discussed in the Senate

House Majority report:

Republicans - 216 yes

Democrats - 4 yes

Background:

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act is a proposed bill to change how people register to vote for federal elections by making them show physical proof of U.S. citizenship (Congress.gov, 2025). It attempts to make voter registration rules stricter. However, it has faced hurdles in moving past the Senate and has driven significant discussion between the two major political parties.

The SAVE Act was first introduced in the House of Representatives, where it passed and was transmitted to the Senate following a 220–208 vote on April 10, 2025 (Congress.gov, 2025). Since then, it has remained in the Senate due to it not being advanced out of its assigned committee or brought to a final floor vote, both of which are required for the bill to become law.

The Republican side (the main supporter of the bill) argues that non-U.S. citizens registering to vote should not be overlooked, even though it rarely happens. They emphasize that potential administrative gaps might allow non-U.S. citizens to vote, which they cite as a primary reason for the bill to be passed.

The Democratic side, however, says that sufficient protections are already in place since voting by non-U.S. citizens is already illegal under federal law. They contend that documented cases are extremely rare, meaning the bill attempts to solve a non-existent problem. Furthermore, opponents argue it could inadvertently disenfranchise eligible American citizens who do not possess immediate access to standard citizenship documentation.

Summary of Bill:

The SAVE Act is intended to ensure non-U.S. citizens are unable to vote in federal elections by making documentary proof of citizenship mandatory when registering to vote (Congress.gov, 2025). While the bill successfully passed the House of Representatives, it remains stalled in the Senate due to a lack of broader institutional support and ongoing partisan disagreements between both parties.

References

Congress.gov. (2025). H.R. 22 - Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act. Library of Congress. https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/22