The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a measure that would mandate proof of citizenship for voters in federal elections. The legislation, formally titled the SAVE Act, cleared the chamber in a 221-198 vote, with five Democrats joining the Republican majority to approve the bill. The SAVE Act now heads to the Senate, where it faces significant opposition from Democrats and almost certain to be ignored.

The SAVE Act seeks to amend the National Voter Registration Act, requiring states to obtain proof of citizenship from individuals registering to vote in federal elections. It also mandates the purging of non-citizens from voter rolls. Proponents, including Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), argue that these measures are necessary to maintain the integrity of the electoral process. Johnson emphasized on the House floor that despite it being illegal for non-citizens to vote, instances of such occurrences have been reported, justifying the need for stricter verification.

Speaker Mike Johnson issued a longer statement after the bill passed:

President Joe Biden has vowed to veto the bill, reflecting the strong opposition from his party. Opponents argue that the core idea of the bill—establishing noncitizen voting as illegal—is redundant since it is already illegal for non-citizens to vote in U.S. elections. They contend that the provisions of the SAVE Act are more likely to result in U.S. citizens being wrongfully denied their right to vote rather than preventing votes by foreign nationals. They highlight that the additional requirements could disproportionately affect minority and low-income communities, who may face challenges in obtaining the necessary documentation such as IDs and birth certificates. 

In Wisconsin, there will be a constitutional amendment on the ballot on this very issue in November. The Wisconsin Citizenship Voting Requirement Amendment will be on all Wisconsin ballots on November 5, 2024. Voting “yes” means you want to change the Wisconsin Constitution to state that only U.S. citizens who are 18 years old or older can vote in federal, state, local, or school elections. Voting “no” means you do not want to make this change to the Wisconsin Constitution. According to the author of the Joint Resolution, Sen. Julian Bradley, the Wisconsin Constitution needs amending to make it clearer that non-citizens cannot vote in state or local elections in Wisconsin. 

In his testimony, Sen. Bradley stated…”Section 1 of article III of our constitution reads “Every United States citizen age 18 or older who is a resident of an election district in this state is a qualified elector of that district.” That language is clear to me, but over the last several years several municipalities in other states with similar language have allowed illegal immigrants to vote. This proposal would prevent that by replacing the word “every” with “only.”

Sen. Bradley highlighted a case in Maryland,”… “To those who do not believe this is an issue, I would point to the Maryland State Constitution which uses similar language to describe who can vote, “every citizen of the United States.” That language did not stop College Park and 10 other municipalities in Maryland from allowing illegal immigrants to vote in local elections. Additionally, the City Council in Washington, D.C. has allowed illegal immigrants to vote.