Do you have a passport, birth certificate, enhanced driver’s license, or other government-issued photo identification that proves you are a U.S. citizen?
Without such documentation, people will not be able to register to vote in federal elections if the controversial American Voter Eligibility Protection Act (also known as the SAVE America Act or SAVE Act) is enacted.
Senate Republicans are preparing to begin a lengthy debate on the bill this week. President Donald Trump is pushing hard for that.
The SAVE Act stalled in the Senate after the House passed it twice, in April 2025 and February 2026. Republicans agree. Democrats are against it.
President Trump has said he will not sign any legislation until the Senate passes it, but the bill could automatically become law if he does not veto it. The highly controversial bill would require people to submit documentation proving they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in federal elections for president and Congress.
If passed, this bill would be one of the biggest changes to voter rights since the Voting Rights Act. Opponents say tens of millions of voters could be disenfranchised, USA TODAY previously reported.
- 21 million According to the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan legal policy organization often associated with liberal and progressive legal positions, Americans do not have easy access to citizenship documents.
- 2.6 million According to the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement at the University of Maryland, Americans do not have government-issued photo IDs.
If passed, this bill would require:
What you need to register to vote
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An enhanced driver’s license indicates that you are a U.S. citizen. Currently, only five states offer this: New York, Vermont, Michigan, Minnesota, and Washington. (Driver’s licenses that allow REAL ID holders to fly domestically without a passport are not eligible under the SAVE Act.)
A valid signed, unexpired, unrevoked U.S. passport or passport card.
An official U.S. military ID card indicating U.S. birthplace and U.S. military service record.
A federal, state, or tribal-issued photo ID card that indicates U.S. citizenship.
Federal, state, or tribal issued photo ID cards:
What are the chances that the Senate will pass the SAVE Act?
That seems unlikely, at least for now. Senate Minority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) said Thursday that he will begin the process of bringing the SAVE Act to a vote on the Senate floor this week. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, but would need 60 votes to avoid the filibuster, a Senate procedure that allows lengthy debates to delay or ultimately block a vote on a bill.
President Trump has called on Senate Republicans to end the filibuster, but Senate Republicans are reluctant to do so because it would become an obstruction if Democrats regained the Senate majority.
Is the SAVE Act necessary?
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, elections are controlled by the states, and most states do not require documentation of citizenship.
- 36 states There are laws that require or require voters to show identification at polling places.
- 14 states Washington, D.C., uses other methods to verify voter identities.
Congressional Democrats and voting rights groups say the bill would introduce voter suppression. The Bipartisan Policy Center, a centrist think tank, says non-citizen voting is rare and the bill would create barriers to voting.
The White House argues that the bill is necessary and cites several polls on the percentage of Americans who support voter ID requirements.
81% | Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll
83% |Pew Research Center
84% |Gallup
75% |Rasmussen Report
Republicans argue that the SAVE Act will help prevent noncitizens from voting by requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote.
Contributed by Dana Taylor, Zach Sharmell, america today
Source USA TODAY Network reporting and research. Reuters; Congressional Government; Senate Government; Department of Homeland Security. National Conference of State Legislatures. U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Transportation Security Administration
