The House of Representatives passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act on Wednesday despite Democrat opposition. If implemented, the legislation would help ensure that only U.S. citizens could vote in federal elections and would prevent illegal immigrants from voting.
According to Fox News, the SAVE ACT was passed on Wednesday with a final vote of 221-198 after being debated on the House floor. The act, which was pushed by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), was passed mostly along party lines, with only five Democrats voting in favor of the election integrity legislation.
Fox News reported that the five Democrats who supported the legislation included Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), Rep. Don Davis (D-N.C.), Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas), and Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.)
A video of Wednesday’s vote tally was shared on X, formerly Twitter, by media personality Nick Sortor. Sortor described the legislation as a “NO BRAINER” and questioned why almost every Democrat voted against the election integrity bill.
Following Wednesday’s vote in the House, the bill will now advance to the Senate. Fox News reported that the bill is expected to face opposition from Democrat senators and that President Joe Biden has threatened to veto the legislation if it is approved by both chambers of Congress.
Prior to the House’s vote on the SAVE Act, Johnson highlighted the potential election integrity benefits that would be implemented through the passage of the legislation in a series of posts on social media.
“The SAVE Act will safeguard our elections by ensuring only American citizens vote in federal elections,” Johnson tweeted.
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Johnson explained that the legislation would require state election officials to ask people about citizenship prior to providing them with voter registration forms. He added that the bill would require potential voters to provide proof of citizenship to be able to register to vote in federal elections.
While Fox News reported that critics have argued the legislation could make it more difficult for U.S. citizens to vote, Johnson said the bill would allow state officials “to accept a wide variety of documents that will make it easy for CITIZENS to register to vote in federal elections.”
Johnson said the legislation would also provide states with access to federal databases, allowing states to remove noncitizens from voter rolls and confirm citizenship for potential voters who lack proof of U.S. citizenship.
If enacted, the Department of Homeland Security would be tasked with determining when to remove noncitizens who have been registered to vote in federal elections. The Department of Homeland Security would also be required to notify a state chief election official when new citizens have been “naturalized” so that “our newest citizens are able to exercise their right to vote.”
