The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, aimed at keeping noncitizens from registering to vote, passed the House on Thursday.
But the impacts to voting rights could reach married women and many others.
The act introduced by Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy passed 220-208 with the help of four Democrat votes.
It now heads to the Senate, before landing on President Donald Trump’s desk. Once signed, it would amend the National Voter Registration Act to require proof of citizenship — via in-person documentation — as an effort to make certain that anyone, when registering to vote, is a United Sates citizen.
However, the changes proposed in the SAVE Act could have dramatic effects on the vote-by-mail system and disenfranchise groups that already have limited voting access.
Many Americans, especially people of color, low-income individuals and married and divorced women, do not possess the required documentation and would face significant challenges in obtaining it, thus creating disproportionate barriers for historically disenfranchised communities, according to the Brennan Center For Justice.
This in-person requirement for proof of citizenship would also eliminate many popular registration methods such as registration by mail, voter registration drives, online voter registration, and automatic voter registration.
The bill would also require removal of undocumented immigrants from existing voter rolls and allow elections officials that don’t follow the proof of citizenship requirement to be sued.
It is already illegal for non-U.S. citizens to vote and there are requirements in place, such as providing a Social Security number to register, matching voter rolls to federal data and, in some states, requiring voter identification at the polls.
However, the SAVE Act would impose even more stringent requirements that could impact a larger swath of American citizens and their voting rights. Here’s what to know.
What is the SAVE Act?
Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act is a bill, first introduced in 2024 that failed to pass the Senate at that time and was reintroduced again last month. It seeks to amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) and require Americans seeking to register or re-register to vote to present a REAL ID-compliant ID proving U.S. citizenship.
The typical driver’s license or government-issued photo ID cards that don’t show birthplace or citizenship on them would need to be presented along with a birth certificate, a naturalization certificate, or adoption decree. Other acceptable forms of REAL ID include a valid United States passport, valid military ID, and forms of Tribal identification.
The SAVE Act would not allow proof of name change or a marriage certificate as acceptable proof of identity, impacting anyone with birth certificates that don’t match their current legal names.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: SAVE Act 2025: Who voted for the SAVE ACT? What does the SAVE Act do?