In the United States, the SAVE Act could exclude 21 million voters

The United States Senate has been debating the “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act” since March 17, known as the “SAVE America” law. The text aims to modify the voting process in federal elections by requiring the presentation of official documents, such as a birth certificate or a passport, to register and vote. Simply checking a box to confirm citizenship would no longer suffice.

Former President Donald Trump has labeled the “SAVE America” law as one of the most important bills in Congressional history and has warned that he will not sign any other legislation until this one is adopted.

The political context surrounding the bill is far from neutral. The project seeks to reshape the 1993 federal law on voter registration and includes civil and criminal penalties for public officials who register voters without the required documents. States would also be required to transmit sensitive voter data to the Department of Homeland Security for examination.

The official argument is to prevent non-citizens from voting. However, only 85 complaints of non-citizen voting have been documented in twenty years. Despite these low numbers, the White House continues its push for the legislation.

The proposed changes by Trump with the “SAVE America” law include requiring most citizens to prove their citizenship with a US passport or certified birth certificate, along with a government-issued photo ID. However, not all individuals have access to these documents, with only 53% of Americans having a passport.

Additionally, the law would impact voting by mail, a common practice in some states. Mail-in voters would need to provide copies of their identification documents both when requesting a ballot and when returning it. Republicans are trying to add amendments to restrict mail-in voting to cases of illness, disability, or military service, even though these provisions are not in the current version passed by the House of Representatives.

The bill is estimated to potentially disenfranchise over 21 million Americans due to limited access to the required documents. Legal experts have criticized the bill as the most severe voter restriction proposal ever seriously considered by Congress.

As the debate continues in the Senate, with no clear resolution in sight, several Republican-led states are developing their own citizenship proof requirements for voting. This sets the stage for a potential electoral battle in 2026, partly in the courts and voter registration offices of each state.