House passes Save America Act, Trump-backed bill to impose new voting rules

"The House on Wednesday passed the Save America Act, which would dramatically change voting regulations by requiring proof of citizenship at voter registration and significantly curtail mail-in voting. The legislation, which passed 218 to 213, faces an uphill battle in the Senate, close observers say. I'm skeptical that the Senate will vote on this bill, because this bill goes farther than the bill they've already sent to the Senate, [which] it hasn't taken up, said Shenna Bellows, Maine's secretary of state and a Democratic candidate for governor."

"One Democrat, Henry Cuellar of Texas, joined Republicans in passing the bill. The House previously passed a version of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility the Save Act in 2024 with three Democratic votes. Without some Democratic support in the Senate, however, it has languished on the margins."

"The Save America Act, introduced by Chip Roy of Texas this year, expands on changes to voting laws in the 2024 bill, adding a nationwide photo ID requirement to vote, with a list of acceptable identification that is stricter than many states that already have voter ID requirements. Student IDs are explicitly not allowed. Implementation of the requirements in the original bill, including the proof of citizenship requirements, would take effect immediately, leaving states scrambling to align their voting systems to the new law."

"The big thing for these bills is that they want to use them to create the impression that there is something wrong in some states, said Gideon Cohn-Postar, senior advisor for election infrastructure at the Institute for Responsive Government. You can describe them in a really general way, and they sound reasonable. Oh, proof of citizenship. Well, of course everyone should prove citizenship.' Well, actually, it is incredibly difficult to do, and people do attest to their citizenship on the penalty of perjury. That's a very high standard, actuall"

The House approved the Save America Act by a 218-213 vote, imposing proof-of-citizenship requirements and significant limits on mail-in voting. The bill adds a nationwide photo ID mandate with a stricter list of acceptable identification and explicitly bars student IDs. Immediate implementation of proof and ID requirements would require states to rapidly adjust voting systems. One Democratic representative joined Republicans in passage, but the measure faces steep obstacles in the Senate and lacks broader Democratic support. Critics warn the law could create misleading impressions about state election problems and that proof-of-citizenship is difficult to substantiate.

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