Speaker Johnson Ramps Up Pressure on Senate to Pass SAVE America Act to Secure Elections
Speaker Mike Johnson is intensifying his campaign to force the Senate to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, a legislative priority aimed at mandating documentary proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration in federal elections. Johnson’s renewed push signals a refusal to back down on election integrity measures, declaring “no surrender” until the bill is signed into law.
The legislation, formally known as H.R. 22 in the 119th Congress, seeks to close what proponents call a critical loophole in the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA), often referred to as the “Motor Voter” law. Currently, the NVRA requires states to accept a simple sworn statement—an attestation under penalty of perjury—as sufficient proof of citizenship for federal voter registration. Speaker Johnson and Republican allies argue this system is vulnerable to abuse, citing concerns that the current honor system allows non-citizens to be added to voter rolls. The SAVE Act would replace this attestation with a strict federal requirement for individuals to present specific documentary proof, such as a passport, birth certificate, or naturalization papers, in person when registering to vote.
“We’ve passed it in the House — more than once,” Johnson stated, emphasizing the lower chamber’s commitment to the measure. The bill previously cleared the House as H.R. 8281 in July 2024 and has been reintroduced as H.R. 22. Supporters argue that with high levels of illegal immigration, securing the ballot box is a matter of national security. The legislation also includes provisions requiring states to remove non-citizens from existing voter rolls and mandates the use of photo identification for casting ballots, further tightening the verification process.
However, the bill faces fierce opposition from Senate Democrats and voting rights organizations, creating a significant legislative standoff. Critics contend that the SAVE Act is a solution in search of a problem, noting that it is already a felony for non-citizens to vote in federal elections and that verified instances of such fraud are statistically negligible. Opponents argue the true impact of the bill would be the disenfranchisement of millions of eligible American voters.
According to data cited by groups like the Brennan Center for Justice and the League of Women Voters, millions of U.S. citizens—disproportionately young people, low-income voters, and people of color—do not possess ready access to the specific documents required by the bill, such as a passport or a certified birth certificate. For example, while a driver’s license is a common form of ID, the REAL ID Act does not necessarily prove citizenship, meaning many voters with valid state IDs could still be blocked from registering. Furthermore, the requirement for in-person documentation could effectively dismantle third-party voter registration drives, which are crucial for registering voters in underserved communities.
The legislative path forward remains difficult. While the House has demonstrated the votes to pass the measure, it faces a steep climb in the Senate, where the 60-vote filibuster threshold allows Democrats to block it. Nevertheless, Speaker Johnson is positioning the act as a non-negotiable standard for election security, potentially using upcoming legislative leverage points to keep the issue at the forefront of the national debate.
nonprofitvote.org
cbsnews.com
lwv.org
