Updated April 15, 2025 at 14:00 PM ET
While much of the spotlight in Washington has been on budget fights and new tariffs, the House passed a bill that could reshape how Americans register to vote. The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE Act) would require voters to show proof of U.S. citizenship — such as a passport or birth certificate — in person when registering to vote or updating their voter registration. The measure now moves to the Senate, where Democrats have promised to block it.
Supporters of the SAVE Act argue the bill is needed to ensure noncitizens don't vote in American elections. Studies and state level audits have found such cases are rare and only account for a tiny percentage of votes.
Republicans have long pushed for stricter laws to combat voting fraud, but experts warn the bill would undermine elections because millions of eligible Americans will face new barriers to voter registration. To understand the potential impact, NPR's Michel Martin spoke with Sean Morales-Doyle, director of the Voting Rights and Elections Program at the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice, which opposes the legislation.
Here's key takeaways from their conversation.
Millions could be affected:
Morales-Doyle said the requirement could create a barrier for a significant number of Americans. "Our research shows that about 21.3 million American citizens don't have these documents readily available," he said. "And by these documents, I mean a birth certificate or a passport." He added that the estimate doesn't include the millions more whose documents don't match their current names, for example, "women who've been married and have changed their name recently."
This is not a typical voter ID law:
Morales-Doyle says there's a distinction between this proposal and existing voter ID laws. "This is not a voter ID law," he said. "This is not a show-your-driver's-license when you go to vote. This is a show-your-papers law."
He explained that the bill would require voters to show original proof of citizenship, like a birth certificate or passport, "just to register every time you register or re-register."
It would make registration more complicated:
If the bill becomes law, Morales-Doyle said many voters will need to start preparing now – especially if they need to order needed documents.
"That can be a lot of work. It could mean spending a lot of money on a passport. It could mean going and finding your birth certificate and proof that you are the person on that birth certificate, because you've changed your name."
He added, "That can take time, and so you're going to need to do it well in advance of the elections."
Voters in rural areas would face higher barriers:
The SAVE act would end common registration methods like online, mail-in, or voter registration drives. Morales-Doyle warned that this would especially affect people who live in remote areas. "There are definitely people who live 10, 20, 50, 100 miles away from the closest election official: people who live in rural places, people who live on tribal lands," he said. "They're going to have a big burden placed on their ability to get registered."
Trust in elections:
Supporters of the bill, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, say the bill would increase public confidence in elections. But Morales-Doyle disagrees, saying the real risk is the opposite. "The reality is that people should have faith in our elections. You know, they are run with integrity already, and Speaker Johnson knows that," he said. "So introducing a bill like this, that's actually the reason people lack confidence in our elections, because he's undermining their confidence."
Jude Joffe-Block contributed.
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