By: Ana Faguyand and Brandon Drenon | June 24, 2026 | BBC Link
The SAVE act would require Americans to prove they are US citizens when they register to vote. It would also mandate showing a valid photo identification before they cast their ballots.
Some states already require voters to present valid photo identification at the polls. Federal law mandates that voters in national election be US citizens, but it does not require mandatory proof of citizenship, as the proposed legislation would.
Voter ID is a popular idea with US voters.
A Pew Research Center poll from last year found 83% of respondents favoured requiring all voters to show government-issued photo ID, including 71% of Democrat or Democratic-leaning voters and 95% of Republican or Republican-leaning voters.
Under the legislation, election officials who register a voter without obtaining the required proof of citizenship could face criminal penalties.
The SAVE act would also establish a process for people whose names have changed to submit additional documents to verify their identity.
This provision has drawn particular concern for individuals who changed their names after marriage.
An estimated 21 million Americans do not have documents proving their citizenship readily available, and 2.6 million lack any form of government-issued photo ID, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a liberal-leaning think tank, and the University of Maryland's Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement.
