WASHINGTON — A Republican-led bill to require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections passed the House Thursday, while Alabama’s Democratic lawmakers spoke out against the bill, arguing it would make it harder for people to vote.
Lawmakers passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act Thursday by a vote of 220-208, with four Democrats joining House Republicans to support the bill. The legislation would require applicants to submit proof of citizenship in person to register to vote in federal elections. Voters would be required to show a U.S. passport, a government-issued ID alongside a birth certificate, or other government-issued IDs that show citizenship status.
Republicans argue the bill is necessary to ensure only U.S. citizens vote in elections. Federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting.
“I think we have to make sure that our elections are fair and honest and that people have confidence that their vote counts,” Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Birmingham, told Alabama Daily News. “Every illegal vote cancels a legitimate vote.”
Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville, posted on X that he “proudly” supported the SAVE Act that “protects the integrity of our electoral system and ensures every legal vote counts.”
Democrats, including Reps. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, and Shomari Figures, D-Mobile, stood strong in their opposition to the SAVE Act, speaking on the House floor Thursday. They said the bill will disenfranchise voters who don’t readily have documentation available to prove citizenship.
A 2023 survey from the Brennan Center for Justice found that 21.3 million Americans of voting age don’t have easy access to documentation to prove their citizenship. In Alabama, less than one-third of citizens have a valid passport, according to the Center for American Progress.
“The SAVE Act is just the latest in the ongoing assault on our democracy by President Trump and his allies in Congress,” Sewell said on the House floor. “Instead of working to meet the needs of the American people, House Republicans are busy spreading fear and lies to justify their attempts to disenfranchise millions of eligible voters.”
Figures said the bill was personal to him, representing the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement. He said Congress should make it easier to vote, not harder.
“This is not just taking us back, but this is setting a new low in a country with a well-documented history of suppressing the vote of many of its citizens, especially those who look like me,” Figures said in a statement.
The legislation also calls for states to remove noncitizens from their lists of eligible voters. Alabama’s Secretary of State Wes Allen tried to make more than 3,000 voters inactive in an effort to remove noncitizens from the state’s list last year. A federal judge ordered the state to reverse the purge, arguing it happened too close to the election.
The Save Act faces an uphill battle in the Senate, where it would need Democratic support to overcome the 60-vote threshold required to avoid a filibuster. The legislation also passed in the House last Congress but failed to advance in the Senate.