WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans approved legislation Wednesday to add a new requirement to prove citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections.
Ahead of the midterms, Republicans have made the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act a key part of their legislative priorities to root out voter fraud. Democrats strongly oppose the bill over concerns that it would block millions of Americans from casting a ballot. The House vote, including Alabama’s delegation, split along party lines. One House Democrat joined Republicans to vote for the measure.
“Everybody in America understands what we’re trying to do,” Rep. Dale Strong, R-Huntsville, told Alabama Daily News. “We want to be sure that Americans and only U.S. citizens vote in elections.”
Under federal law, noncitizens are already prohibited from voting in national elections. It’s also extremely rare. A study across 12 states found about 30 alleged noncitizens voted in the 2016 elections.
The Trump-backed elections bill would require voters to show documentation, such as a U.S. passport or birth certificate, proving their citizenship status when registering to vote. It would also mandate voters show a photo ID when casting their ballot at the polls. Most states, including Alabama, already have a voter ID requirement.
Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, the top Democrat on the House Administration Elections Subcommittee and a vocal voting rights proponent, expressed vehement opposition to the legislation.
“It’s voter suppression on steroids,” she told ADN.
The congresswoman submitted three amendments to the bill, including one to expand the list of documents that could be used to verify one’s identity, such as a valid lease, bank statement or student ID. The amendments were rejected by Republicans on the House Rules Committee.
“It’s a shame that this piece of legislation is making it harder for certain segments of the population to vote, whether it’s our seniors or our disabled,” Sewell told ADN.
“This piece of legislation forbids a student ID from… being an acceptable form (of ID),” she added. “What is that but trying to suppress the vote of the young.”
While Republican Rep. Barry Moore of Enterprise argued that not being able to get a valid ID to vote is just an “excuse to cheat.”
“I think you need to be able to get an ID to vote in this country,” Moore told ADN. “If you’re not capable of that, how can you pick the leaders of the country?”
In a floor speech, Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Birmingham, listed numerous instances when Americans have to present a photo ID, such as enrolling in college or boarding a flight.
“It’s hard to argue that a photo ID is too much to ask for voting when Americans already use it routinely for far less important activities,” Palmer said.
The Brennan Center for Justice estimates that about 21 million Americans don’t readily have access to paperwork that proves citizenship under the SAVE America Act’s requirements, which could hamper voters’ ability to cast their ballots.
Under the legislation, states would be required to create a program to identify noncitizens who could be on voter rolls using available information through sources such as the Department of Homeland Security, Social Security Administration, or state agencies.
Uncertain Senate path
The SAVE America Act faces a rocky path in the U.S. Senate, where a similar bill passed the House last year, but did not advance in the upper chamber. It needs some Democratic support to reach the necessary 60 votes. Senate Democrats remain strongly against the legislation.
But some hardline Republicans, including Sen. Tommy Tuberville, are pushing the Senate to circumvent the 60-vote threshold. The senators want to use a so-called “talking filibuster” that would eat up hours of floor time with unlimited debate to get the legislation passed.
“We’ve got to find some way to do it,” Tuberville, a cosponsor of the bill, told reporters on a call.
“It should be our number one priority for the next seven, eight months, because if we don’t (pass it) we have a great chance in this country to lose what we built in the last year,” he said, referring to the possibility that Democrats could gain control of the House and or Senate after the midterms.
On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said there are “not even close” to enough votes in the Republican caucus needed for “nuking the filibuster.” He added that changing the process doesn’t have a “future” in the Republican-controlled Senate.
Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., is also a cosponsor of the elections legislation. She and Tuberville have posted multiple times on social media advocating for the bill.
“This is common sense. We MUST pass the SAVE America Act,” Britt said on X.
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