Why The SAVE America Act Could Create New Obstacles For Millions Of Voters
By Holly Corbett, Holly Corbett covers bias, workplace culture, and social movements.
Feb 13, 2026, 02:31pm ESTFeb 13, 2026, 10:17pm EST
Exercising your right to vote is central to democracy, because voting is a way to elect officials who represent the will of the people, and to hold power accountable. The more eligible voters who cast their ballots on election day, the stronger our democracy.
This is why it's important to pay attention to a bill ahead of the midterm elections that could make it much harder for millions of Americans to vote. The President and Republican lawmakers are pushing to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, despite it stalling in the Senate last year after widespread public opposition. An amended version of the bill, called the SAVE America Act, passed in the House on February 11, 2026.
In a nutshell, the SAVE America Act would require people registering to vote or those updating their voter registration to show specific documents proving American citizenship. On the surface this sounds reasonable, as the majority of Americans—regardless of political affiliation—support voter ID at the polls and do not support non-citizens voting in federal elections.
Additionally, the SAVE America Act would also make states conduct frequent purges of their voter rolls without providing additional funding and staffing to do so, and to share voter information with the Department of Homeland Security.
Proponents of the SAVE Act say the bill will help prevent non-citizens from voting and “protect federal elections from fraud and abuse,” butopponents point out that the bill is trying to solve a problem that does not actually exist. It’s already illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections, and research finds just 0.04% of voter verification cases are returned as non-citizens. At the same time, the SAVE America Act could actually prevent millions of eligible voters who don’t have immediate access to the specific documents required in the bill from being able to exercise their right.
This renewed push to pass the SAVE Act comes at a time when the President has said he wants to nationalize elections in 15 states (despite the Constitution granting states control over elections); the FBI seizing ballots from the 2020 election in Fulton County, Georgia (based on debunked voter fraud claims); and Attorney General Pam Bondi’s request to turn over Minneapolis’ voter rolls to the Department of Justice (after the administration had already sued more than 20 states for refusing to turn over their voter data).
“Over and over again, we’re seeing a big focus on taking control of the elections from this administration. You have to wonder why, because there is certainly no evidence of election fraud,” says Alison Gill, director for nominations and democracy at the National Women’s Law Center Action Fund.
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