House Passes SAVE Act, Which Requires Proof of Citizenship to Register to Vote
The House of Representatives passed Rep. Chip Roy’s (R-TX) Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which requires proof of citizenship to register to vote.
The bill requires two things:
- Requiring states to obtain proof of citizenship – in person – before registering an individual to vote for a Federal election.
- Requiring states to remove non-citizens from existing voter rolls, while giving them necessary tools to do so.
“In order to preserve this republic, we must uphold what it means to be able to vote in a U.S. election,” Roy said after the passage. “I am grateful that my colleagues answered the call and passed the SAVE Act, as this serves as a critical first step to ensure that we maintain election integrity throughout our country.”
Four Democrats voted yes:
- Rep. Ed Case (HI)
- Rep. Henry Cueller (TX)
- Rep. Jared Golden (ME)
- Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA)
Cueller represents Texas’s 28th Congressional District, which borders Texas and Mexico.
The bill amends Section 3 of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 by adding “documentary proof of United States citizenship.”
The documents include:
- A form of identification issued consistent with the requirements of the REAL ID Act of 2005 that indicates the applicant is a citizen of the United States.
- A valid United States passport
- The applicant’s official United States military identification card, together with a United States military record of service showing that the applicant’s place of birth was in the United States.
- A valid government-issued photo identification card issued by a Federal, State or Tribal government showing that the applicant’s place of birth was in the United States
- A valid government-issued photo identification card issued by a Federal, State or Tribal government other than an identification described in paragraphs (1) through (4), but only if presented together with one or more of the following
The documents to go with the valid government-issued photo ID card:
- Birth certificate issued by a state, local government of a state, or a tribal government
- An extract from a United States hospital Record of Birth created at the time of the applicant’s birth which indicates that the applicant’s place of birth was in the United States.
- A final adoption decree showing the applicant’s name and that the applicant’s place of birth was in the United States
- A Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a citizen of the United States or a certification of the applicant’s Report of Birth of a United States citizen issued by the Secretary of State.
- A Naturalization Certificate or Certificate of Citizenship issued by the Secretary of Homeland Security or any other document or method of proof of United States citizenship issued by the Federal government pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act.
- An American Indian Card issued by the Department of Homeland Security with the classification ‘KIC’.’’.
The bill heads to the Senate.
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