House GOP pushes strict proof-of-citizenship requirement for voters ahead of midterm elections

AP News ^ | Updated 5:48 PM CST, February 11, 2026 | LISA MASCARO

[E. Pluribus Unum]

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans rushed to approve legislation on Wednesday that would impose strict new proof-of-citizenship requirements ahead of the midterm elections, a long shot Trump administration priority that faces sharp blowback in the Senate.

The bill, called the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE America Act, would require Americans to prove they are citizens when they register to vote, mostly through a valid U.S. passport or birth certificate. It would also require a valid photo identification before voters can cast ballots, which some states already demand. It was approved on a mostly party-line vote, 218-213.

Republicans said the legislation is needed to prevent voter fraud, but Democrats warn it will disenfranchise millions of Americans by making it harder to vote. Federal law already requires that voters in national elections be U.S. citizens, but there’s no requirement to provide documentary proof. Experts said voter fraud is extremely rare, and very few noncitizens ever slip through the cracks. Fewer than one in 10 Americans don’t have paperwork proving they are citizens.

“Some of my colleagues will call this voter suppression or Jim Crow 2.0,” said Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., presenting the package at a committee hearing.

But he said “those allegations are false,” and he argued the bill is needed to enforce existing laws, particularly those that bar immigrants who are not citizens from voting. “The current law is not strong enough,” he said.

Election turmoil shadows the vote

The GOP’s sudden push to change voting rules at the start of the midterm election season is raising red flags, particularly because President Donald Trump has suggested he wants to nationalize U.S. elections, which, under the Constitution, are designed to be run by individual states.

The Trump administration recently seized ballots in Georgia from the 2020 election, which the president...

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TOPICS: Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS:

[Steely Tom]

They’re obviously irredeemable, deplorable racists. /s

[E. Pluribus Unum]

We must not disenfranchise illegal aliens!

[DIRTYSECRET]

It’s that popular except in the senate. Go figure.

[Frank Drebin]

"The GOP’s sudden push to change voting rules at the start of the midterm election season is raising red flags, particularly because President Donald Trump has suggested he wants to nationalize U.S. elections, which, under the Constitution, are designed to be run by individual states."

A willful lie regarding federal elections...They are regulated by the states but subject ultimately to the authority of the Congress to change those laws and regulations. Article 1 Section 4 is clear.

[Steely Tom]

The United States doesn’t deserve to have borders.

The people of the United States don’t deserve to have a homeland. Well, at least the white people.

Much of the left actually believes those things. Maybe all of the left. The only distinction is “do they say it out loud, or not.”

[Steely Tom]

It’s not a “sudden push.” People on our side have been pushing for voter ID for decades.

[ModelBreaker]

“The GOP’s sudden push to change voting rules at the start of the midterm election season is raising red flags, particularly because President Donald Trump has suggested he wants to nationalize U.S. elections, which, under the Constitution, are designed to be run by individual states.”

The SAVE act cannot possibly pass the Senate filibuster, assuming that the execrable John Thune even allows a vote in the Senate.

So the SAVE act should be seen as a cudgel to use in the midterms against D’s who voted against voter ID. Voter ID polls very well among all voters except D’s.

[P8riot]

Senators shouldn’t be subject to election in the first place. Repeal the 17th!

[rainee]

The assistant democrats will stop it
Thune is worthless

[Dr. Franklin]

The SAVE act cannot possibly pass the Senate filibuster, assuming that the execrable John Thune even allows a vote in the Senate.

The House could shut down the government over election security. With the budget mostly passed, the next debt ceiling crisis could be employed to strong arm the Senate to hold a vote on the SAVE Act, but the spineless House RINOs will likely cave rather than fight about election integrity.

[Fledermaus]

Correct. Age restriction, date of election, no poll tax, etc. all changed by federal statutes.

Not “nationalization”.

I hate the left.

[dennisw]

Proof of citizenship will kill DemoncRat vote harvesting. Kill mail in voting. It will kill off many ways the Dems have been cheating for years. They have been laughing at us for years, for not stopping their election day cheats.

Passing this is a must.

[blackdog]

The claims of democrats that nobody can afford to obtain a passport or birth certificate in order to vote, should have been thought of when they pushed motor voter legislation in states.

Now, you must provide a birth certificate to the DMV to get a Real ID..Unless you are here illegally. Then all you need is your letter telling you you are here illegally and have a status hearing in nine years on a Thursday Morning. Then you get to the front of the line at the DMV for your Real ID.

[UnwashedPeasant]

In the unlikely event that Thune lets this pass in the Senate, if states ignore it, I wonder what will happen? Will their illegitimate contestants be sworn in?

[Bobbyvotes]

Three cheers to House Reps Hip Hip Hooray 😄😆😉

[FlingWingFlyer]

America cannot allow 20 million scabs and slobs from south of the river to vote in our elections. If the azhos want to vote, they need to go home and vote. They are not AMERICANS. Illegal voting should be a felony and automatic deportation. And take briar rabbit and big ass mammies with him. That crap was a disgrace to have those hookers with their bigass Brazilian butts double dribbling their two basketballs around the field in front of all those little kids that illegals pretend to care so much about. All the little boys went home with Dumb Bunny Louisville Sluggers between their legs.

[Nuc 1.1]

Senators shouldn’t be subject to election in the first place. Repeal the 17th!

Hear Hear!!!!! The 17th Amendment allows large cities to control the election of senators. Demonrats knew that went after our cities. Return senatorial elections to the state houses and our nation will start healing immediately.

[phil00071]

“Experts said voter fraud is extremely rare, and very few noncitizens ever slip through the cracks. Fewer than one in 10 Americans don’t have paperwork proving they are citizens.” Firstly, the writer does not identify the “experts,” which raises a fed flag. Second, it sounds as though as many as nine percent of Americans don’t have proof that they are citizens.

[FrankRizzo890]

It’s possible (I ain’t sayin’ it’s right!), that the reason Thune doesn’t want to bring it to a vote is because it’ll expose the Rinos, and they might lose their elections as a result. So, he’s trying to protect them (either to keep the R numbers up, or to protect the Rinos).