HR7296-119

What This Bill Does

The SAVE America Act rewrites federal voter-registration and identification rules. Section 2 defines documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to include REAL ID citizenship documents, passports, military ID with service records, government photo ID showing U.S. birthplace, birth certificates, hospital birth records, adoption decrees, consular birth reports, naturalization or citizenship certificates, and KIC American Indian Cards. States could not accept or process federal voter-registration applications unless applicants present citizenship proof, and mail applicants would have to present proof in person or at the polling place where same-day registration is allowed. States must create processes for applicants without standard documents, resolve documentation discrepancies, make disability accommodations, run ongoing noncitizen-registration checks, request federal eligibility information within a 24-hour response framework, remove noncitizens from federal voter rolls, and trigger DHS investigation when an alien is found unlawfully registered. Section 3 requires each federal voter to present eligible tangible photo ID for in-person voting or include copies with absentee ballot requests and returns, with SAVE-program exceptions for jurisdictions that verify citizenship quarterly.

Who Benefits and How

State election officials benefit from expanded access to DHS, SSA, motor-vehicle, and other citizenship-verification sources, and from EAC forms and affidavits for hard cases. Voters who are already documented citizens may benefit from perceived election-integrity protections and clearer uniform requirements. Election Assistance Commission staff gain authority to develop affidavits and guidance for applicants who cannot provide standard documents. DHS immigration enforcement staff gain a referral path when citizenship checks identify an alien unlawfully registered to vote.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Voter-registration applicants must produce documentary proof of citizenship, resolve discrepancies, or sign attestations and provide other evidence before being registered for federal elections. Absentee voters must include photo ID copies both with the ballot request and with the returned ballot. State and local election offices must verify citizenship, notify mail applicants, accommodate disabled applicants, maintain citizenship-verification programs, submit or receive SAVE-related records, mark verified voters, remove noncitizens, and train poll workers. Federal agencies must respond to State eligibility requests within 24 hours without charging fees, and DHS must investigate possible removal proceedings when an alien is found unlawfully registered.

Key Provisions

• Requires documentary proof of U.S. citizenship before States accept or process federal voter-registration applications.
• Directs States to create alternate evidence, discrepancy-resolution, disability-accommodation, noncitizen-check, and roll-removal processes.
• Requires federal agencies to provide citizenship-verification information to State election officials within 24 hours and without fees.
• Requires tangible photo ID for in-person federal voting and ID copies with absentee ballot requests and returned absentee ballots.