Got a passport, birth certificate, Enhanced Driver’s License, or other government-issued photo ID that proves you’re a U.S. citizen?
Without such documentation, you won’t be able to register to vote in federal elections if the contentious Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act – also known as the SAVE America Act, or SAVE Act – becomes law.
Senate Republicans are preparing to open lengthy debate on the measure this week. President Donald Trump is pushing hard for it.
The SAVE Act stalled in the Senate after the House passed it twice, in April 2025 and again in February 2026. Republicans are for it; Democrats are against it.
Trump has said he won’t sign any legislation until the Senate passes the act, though bills can still automatically become law if he doesn’t veto them. The highly disputed bill would require people to produce documents proving they are U.S. citizens to register to vote in federal elections for presidents and congressional representatives.
If passed, the act would be one of the biggest revisions of voter rights since the Voting Rights Act. Opponents say tens of millions of voters could be disenfranchised, USA TODAY has previously reported.
- 21 million Americans can’t easily access their citizenship documents, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan law and policy institute often associated with liberal and progressive legal positions.
- 2.6 million Americans don’t have government-issued photo IDs, according to the University of Maryland’s Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement, a nonpartisan university‑based research center focused on elections, civic participation, and democratic governance.
Here’s what you’ll need if the bill becomes law.
What you’ll need to register to vote
Can’t see our graphics? Click here to reload the page.
An Enhanced Driver’s License shows you’re a U.S. citizen. Only five states, New York, Vermont, Michigan, Minnesota, and Washington, offer this at present. (REAL ID-driver’s licenses, which allow holders to fly domestically without a passport, do not qualify under the SAVE Act.)
A valid – signed, unexpired and non-revoked – U.S. passport or passport card.
An official U.S. military ID card and U.S. military record of service showing U.S. place of birth.
A federal-, state- or tribal-issued photo ID card showing U.S. citizenship.
A federal-, state- or tribal-issued photo ID card with:
How likely is the Senate to pass the SAVE Act?
Not likely – at least right now. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, said Thursday he would start the process of bringing the SAVE Act to the Senate floor for a vote this week. That could result in additional weeks of debate.While Republicans have a 53-47 majority in the Senate, 60 votes are needed to bypass the filibuster, a senatorial procedure that allows lengthy debate in order to delay or ultimately prevent a vote on a bill.
While Trump has urged Senate Republicans to end the filibuster, they’ve been reluctant to do so since it would hinder them if Democrats retake control of the Senate.
Is the SAVE Act needed?
States administer elections and most states do not require documentary proof of citizenship, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures:
- 36 states have laws asking or requiring voters to show identification at the polls.
- 14 states and Washington, DC, use other methods to verify the identity of voters.
Congressional Democrats and voting-rights groups say the bill introduces voter suppression. The Bipartisan Policy Center, a centrist think tank, says noncitizen voting is rare and that the bill would create barriers to voting.
The White House says the legislation is needed and has cited several polls with percentages of Americans in support of voter ID requirements:
81% | Harvard CAPS/Harris poll
83% | Pew Research Center
84% | Gallup
75% | Rasmussen Reports
Republicans have said the SAVE Act will help prevent noncitizens from voting by requiring documentary proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration.
CONTRIBUTING Dana Taylor, Zach Schermele, USA TODAY
SOURCES USA TODAY Network reporting and research; Reuters; congress.gov; senate.gov; Department of Homeland Security; National Conference of State Legislatures; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Transportation Security Administration
