US Senate Considers Save America Act Voting Bill
A comprehensive voting bill that would mandate proof of US citizenship for new voters and implement additional restrictions could be brought to debate in the Senate as early as Tuesday.
The Save America Act is a renamed version of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility act, commonly known as the Save Act, which has been under consideration in Congress in various forms for over two years.
The bill was passed by the US House earlier this year but faces significant challenges in the Senate, where it requires 60 votes to overcome the filibuster rule. Republican senators, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, have been subject to intense lobbying efforts to eliminate the filibuster to advance the legislation. However, Thune has indicated that he does not currently have the necessary votes.
Thune has stated that the Senate debate is expected to extend over several days. The effort aims to highlight what supporters describe as concerns about election security and to compel Democrats to take a clear stance on the issue.
Democrats uniformly oppose the bill and are anticipated to block its passage in the Senate. They argue that the legislation would disenfranchise millions of American voters who lack easy access to birth certificates or other required documents. This includes both Republicans and Democrats who would be newly registering to vote.
Federal law already requires voters in national elections to be US citizens. However, the proposed legislation would impose stringent new requirements for voters to prove their citizenship status. Specifically, the bill would require voters to provide proof of citizenship during registration and to present approved identification at polling stations, among other new provisions. These measures are being promoted by former President Donald Trump and his staunch supporters as part of a broader push for increased federal oversight of elections.
Last week, Trump threatened to withhold his signature from any bills until Congress approves this legislation.
Trump’s Advocacy and Additional Provisions
In the lead-up to the Senate debate, Trump utilized social media to urge lawmakers to pass the legislation.
He insisted that the Save America Act was “one of the most IMPORTANT & CONSEQUENTIAL pieces of legislation in the history of Congress” Tuesday morning.
Trump has repeatedly and without evidence claimed that undocumented citizens are voting in large numbers in federal elections, a phenomenon experts say is extremely rare. Additionally, the former president is advocating for an amended version of the bill that would include a ban on mail-in ballots, prohibitions on transgender individuals participating in women’s sports, and bans on gender-affirming surgeries for minors. Should this expanded version pass the Senate—which is considered unlikely—it would need to return to the House for approval.
“Only sick, demented, or deranged people in the House or Senate could vote against THE SAVE AMERICA ACT. If they do, each one of these points, separately, will be used against the user in his/her political campaign for office,” the president wrote. “A guaranteed loss!”
