Booths await voters at the Pennington County Administration Building during early voting on January 19, 2026 for a municipal election in Rapid City, South Dakota. (Photo by Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight)
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation Wednesday that would require the public to present a passport or birth certificate in most cases to register to vote, less than a year before the November midterm elections.
The 218-213 The vote was largely split along party lines, with one Democrat, Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas, breaking with his party to support the measure. One Republican, Greg Murphy of North Carolina, did not vote.
The Republicans argued The invoiceDubbed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act or SAVE America Act by House Republicans, it will prevent non-citizens from voting in federal elections, which is already illegal and occasional.
The Senate is considering its own version the invoice.
Republicans’ endorsement of the bill follows that of President Donald Trump Comments advocate Nationalize electionsa mid-decade campaign to redistrict state congressional districts in favor of Republicans and more than two dozen justice departments Complaints Demands that Democratic-led states turn over unredacted voter lists to the Department of Homeland Security.
The bill also includes a provision requiring each state to send an “official list of eligible voters for federal office” to the Department of Homeland Security to search the department’s database to identify any non-citizens.
“Show your papers”
The law has been heavily criticized by Democrats and voting rights advocates as a “show your papers” law that will disenfranchise approximately 146 million Americans don’t have a passport.
They say it would also affect those who do not have direct access to a birth certificate and married women whose last names do not match the name on birth certificates.
If the measure passes both chambers and is signed by Trump, it would take effect immediately.
“Republicans know they can’t win on the issue, so instead of changing their policies, they’re trying to change the rules. John Lewis wasn’t beaten to death on a bridge in my hometown for Republicans and Donald Trump to take those rules away from us,” said Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., citing the behind schedule Democratic Rep. John Lewis, who was beaten during a voting rights march in Selma, Alabama, in 1965.
“This is a blatant power grab because Democrats will not stand for it,” Sewell, whose district includes Selma, said before the floor vote.
Sean Morales-Doyle, director of voting rights and elections at the Brennan Center for Justice, said the timing of the measure would cause “maximum chaos” if it goes into effect.
“A change of this magnitude to our electoral system immediately before an election would not only be materially terrible, preventing Americans from voting, but it would also cause chaos,” Morales-Doyle said.
“It would change the rules that govern our elections and state registration, right when this happens most often. … There is always a huge surge in registrations leading up to an election.”
“Daggum ID”
But Republicans argue that the legislation includes “safeguards” to ensure that only U.S. citizens vote, as Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said before the floor vote.
“House Republicans and President Trump want to protect the ballot box and ensure the integrity of our elections in this great country,” Burchett said.
“When you buy a firearm, when you get on a plane, when you open a bank account – if I put $100 in the bank and then immediately ask for $20 of it back, guess what: I have to show a Daggum ID,” Burchett continued.
Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., said Democrats’ arguments against the bill are “hyperbole.”
“We should review and clean up the voter rolls and remove people who are ineligible to vote because every citizen deserves the right to vote,” he said.
According to a July 2025 study, claims that non-citizens voted in federal elections represent “tiny fractions of the electorate.” analysis from the Center for Election Innovation and Research. The report was updated this month.
Murkowski not on board
The Senate version, sponsored by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, could face more headwinds.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, issued a statement on social media Tuesday she will not support the legislation.
“Not only does the U.S. Constitution clearly give states the authority to regulate the ‘times, places and manner’ of holding federal elections, but uniform mandates from Washington, D.C. rarely work in places like Alaska,” Murkowski wrote, adding that changing procedures so close to the midterm elections “would negatively impact election integrity.”
