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In a significant move on the legislative front, the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a bill designed to bolster election integrity by mandating voter ID to confirm citizenship. This development saw almost unanimous opposition from House Democrats, with just one member breaking ranks in support of the measure. This scenario underscores the critical nature of maintaining a majority in Congress for Republicans navigating today’s deeply divided political landscape.
The legislation, known as the SAVE America Act and introduced by Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, specifically targets the prevention of non-citizen voting in federal elections. According to a report from Fox News, the bill passed narrowly with a 218 to 213 vote. If enacted, the changes could be implemented as soon as November.
Notably, Rep. Henry Cuellar from Texas stood as the sole Democrat to back the election integrity measure, highlighting an almost complete partisan split on the issue.
This bill is an evolution of the earlier Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which successfully passed the House in April last year but stalled in the Senate. The revised legislation not only emphasizes the requirement for photo identification in federal elections but also introduces a federal proof of citizenship requirement during voter registration. Additionally, it mandates states to maintain voter rolls free of ineligible entries.
In addition to requiring photo ID to vote in federal elections, the new version of the legislation also aims to establish a federal proof of citizenship requirement in the voter registration process, as well as mandate that states maintain voter rolls purged of ineligible individuals.
The legislation would also require state election officials to share voter information with federal agencies to check citizenship on existing voter rolls, and if non-citizens are found registered to vote, the bill would allow the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to pursue immigration cases against them.
“If we want to rebuild confidence again in American elections, we need to pass the SAVE Act,” Rep. Mike Haridopolos (R-FL) told Fox News. “What better way to eliminate that distrust than to make sure that whoever votes in an American citizen who is truly eligible to vote?”
Democrats, meanwhile, have attacked the legislation, with House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA), bizarrely accusing Republicans of trying to make it harder for women to vote.
“Republicans aren’t worried about non-citizens voting. They’re afraid of actual American citizens voting. Why? Because they’re losing among women,” Clark argued. “This is a minefield of red tape that you have put in front of women and American citizens and their right to vote.”
The Democrat congresswoman reportedly claimed that the election integrity bill would make it more difficult for married women to vote if their last name is different from their maiden name that appears on their birth certificate.
But House Republican Policy Committee Chairman Kevin Hern (R-OK) explained that the effort is actually about preventing illegal immigrants from voting in U.S. elections, and deemed Democrats’ opposition to the bill as “feeding the narrative” that the left wants illegals “from all over the world to come here to support them.”
Overall, House Republicans stressed that the legislation is necessary, given that the U.S. was inundated with millions of illegal immigrants during former President Joe Biden’s four-year term in office.
“The American people did not give Republicans a mandate to make excuses,” Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger (R-TX) told Fox News, referring to President Donald Trump’s landslide 2024 election victory.
“They gave us one to deliver wins, and the SAVE America Act is exactly that,” Pfluger continued. “Every single Democrat who voted no today proved they would rather let illegal aliens tip the scales in our national elections than protect your vote.”
In order to go into effect for the midterm elections this November, the bill would have to pass the Senate, where several Democrats are currently needed in order to overcome a filibuster.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.