SAVE Act

Extracted Attributes

• Full Name

  Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act

• Bill Number

  H.R. 22

• Key Requirement

  Documentary proof of United States citizenship for federal voter registration

• Primary Sponsor

  Representative Chip Roy (R-TX)

• Alternative Name

  SAVE America Act

• Estimated Impact

  21.3 million voting-age citizens (9 percent) may lack required documentation

• Legislative Body

  United States Congress

• Affected Legislation

  National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA)

Timeline

• The SAVE Act (H.R. 22) is introduced in the 119th Congress. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2025-01-03

• The Bipartisan Policy Center publishes an analysis detailing the administrative costs and implementation challenges of the act. (Source: Bipartisan Policy Center)

  2026-02-02

• The U.S. House of Representatives passes the SAVE America Act version of the bill. (Source: Bipartisan Policy Center)

  2026-02-11

• The Brennan Center for Justice releases a report arguing the bill would hurt American voters by compelling voter roll purges. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2026-02-20

Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, also known as the SAVE Act or SAVE America Act, is a proposed United States law that would require "documentary proof of United States citizenship" to register to vote in federal elections.

Web Search Results

• Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act - Wikipedia

  The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, also known as the SAVE Act, is a proposed United States law that would amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require "documentary proof of United States citizenship" to register to vote. ## Background [edit] See also: Voter identification laws in the United States § Proof of citizenship laws, and Republican Party efforts to disrupt voting after the 2024 United States presidential election The bill's stated purpose is to prevent non-citizens from voting in federal elections. ## Provisions [edit] The bill defines "documentary proof of United States citizenship". Valid documents for verifying citizenship, as stated by the bill, are one of the following: [...] 1. ^ "H.R.22 - SAVE Act". congress.gov. January 3, 2025. Retrieved February 23, 2026. 2. ^ a b c Bacskai, Owen; Sweren-Becker, Eliza (February 20, 2025). "House Bill Would Hurt American Voters". Brennan Center for Justice. 3. ^ a b c "Text of H.R. 22: SAVE Act (Passed the House version)". GovTrack.us. Retrieved February 6, 2026. 4. ^ Kim, Juliana (April 13, 2025). "Will the SAVE Act make it harder for married women to vote? We ask legal experts". NPR. Retrieved April 14, 2025. 5. ^ "Enhanced Drivers Licenses: What Are They?". Homeland Security. Retrieved February 14, 2026. 6. ^ "Five Things to Know About the SAVE Act". Bipartisan Policy Center. Retrieved February 14, 2026. [...] Research from the Brennan Center, "indicates that more than 9 percent of American citizens of voting age, or 21.3 million people, don't have proof of citizenship readily available". The center said the act "would compel voter roll purges that are bound to sweep in eligible American voters" and that "when Arizona and Kansas implemented similar policies at the state level, tens of thousands of eligible citizens were blocked from registering", concluding, "the SAVE Act's proof-of-citizenship requirement is a solution in search of a problem". According to the U.S. Vote Foundation, the SAVE Act would jeopardize voting registration access for US military service members serving abroad and other US citizens resident overseas. ## History [edit]

• H.R.22 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): SAVE Act

  Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act or the SAVE Act This bill requires individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. Specifically, the bill prohibits states from accepting and processing an application to register to vote in a federal election unless the applicant presents documentary proof of U.S. citizenship.The bill specifies what documents are considered acceptable proof of U.S. citizenship, such as identification that complies with the REAL ID Act of 2005 that indicates U.S. citizenship. [...] The bill allows for a private right of action against an election official who registers an applicant to vote in a federal election who fails to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. The bill establishes criminal penalties for certain offenses, including registering an applicant to vote in a federal election who fails to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. Image 2: Congress.gov Site Content Legislation Committee Reports Committee Meetings Committee Publications Congressional Record Congressional Record Index Members Nominations Treaty Documents House Communications Senate Communications Legislative Process About Congress.gov Help [...] Further, the bill (1) prohibits states from registering an individual to vote in a federal election unless, at the time the individual applies to register to vote, the individual provides documentary proof of U.S. citizenship; and (2) requires states to establish an alternative process under which an applicant may submit other evidence to demonstrate U.S. citizenship. Each state must take affirmative steps on an ongoing basis to ensure that only U.S. citizens are registered to vote, which shall include establishing a program to identify individuals who are not U.S. citizens using information supplied by certain sources. Additionally, states must remove noncitizens from their official lists of eligible voters.

• Five Things to Know About the SAVE America Act

  The SAVE Act requires significant changes to each step of the voter registration process: how voters register, how their identities are verified, and how list maintenance is performed on an ongoing basis. These changes would be costly and time consuming, taking months—if not years—to achieve. Despite the administrative difficulty of implementation, the SAVE Act prioritizes expediency over precision. The act becomes effective on the date of enactment, giving states no time to adjust processes. It also requires that the U.S. Election Assistance Commission offer implementation guidance to states within just 10 days of enactment. Further, the SAVE Act offers no funding to states to assist with implementation costs. [...] To do so, the SAVE Act amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 by introducing a requirement for individuals to provide proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. [...] Article # Five Things to Know About the SAVE Act February 2, 2026 Wren Orey Matthew Weil Julianne Lempert Share: Share on Bluesky Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn This piece refers to the SAVE Act as introduced in January 2025. The SAVE America Act, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on February 11, 2026, includes both the documentary proof of citizenship requirement outlined below and a requirement that voters provide a photo ID in order to vote. Introduced by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act requires voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship at the time of registration.

• SAVE Act (2025) - Fair Elections Center

  Skip to content # SAVE Act (2025) (Documentary Proof of Citizenship to Register to Vote) Print This Page as a PDF ### What is the “SAVE” Act? The so-called “SAVE” Act is a bill put forward in the U.S. Congress that would require citizens to provide paperwork in addition to their sworn voter registration form showing that the person is a U.S. citizen, or they would be stopped from registering and voting. For most people, that would mean providing a passport or a birth certificate to register to vote or update their registration. Voters currently register in almost every state by simply swearing or affirming in writing under penalty of perjury that the person is a citizen. The “SAVE” Act would also purge eligible voters from the rolls. ### Why Our Elections Don’t Need “SAVE”

• [PDF] SAVE Act - One Pager (Finalized) - Chip Roy

  The Problem: Rep. Chip Roy’s SAVE Act would fix this problem, thwart Democrat efforts to cement one-party rule, and uphold and strengthen current law by requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote in Federal elections. Amends the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), which has governed state voter registration since 1993, to require states to obtain documentary proof of U.S. citizenship and identity – in person – when registering an individual to vote in a Federal election. This requirement applies regardless of whether an individual is registering to vote at a DMV, a voter registration agency (such as a welfare office), or by mail. [...] Directs stat es to pro vide reason able accomm oda tions for disabl ed Americans and applicants that have discrepancies on their documentation due to a name change.Requires states to establish a program to remove non-citizens from their existing voter rolls and gives states no-cost access to Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration databases to do so.Empowers citizens to bring civil suits against election officials that fail to uphold proof of citizenship requirements for Federal elections by expanding the NVRA’s existing private right of action, and adds penalties for election officials that register non-citizens to vote in Federal elections.Directs the Election Assistance Commission to promptly update any guidance associated with the SAVE Act and streamlines [...] Directs states to establish an alternative process for applicants that may not have documentary proof of citizenship but are in fact U.S. citizens (due to religious reasons or otherwise), subject to minimum standards set by the Election Assistance Commission and signed attestations and affidavits by both the applicant and official making the determination. Amends t he Nati ona l Voter Registratio n Act (NVRA), w hich has gov erned stat e vo ter registr ation sinc e 1993, to req uir e sta tes to obtain documentary proof of U.S. citizenship and identity – in person – when registering an individual to vote in a Federal election.

• Instance Of

  Q4167410