House Passes SAVE Act: Only One Democrat Voted for Proof of Citizenship in US Elections
With one defection, House Democrats on Wednesday rejected the concept that only American citizens should vote in American elections.
In a 218-213 vote, The House passed an updated version of the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility Act initially proposed by Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas. The House passed the bill last year, but it withered on the vine in the Senate.
Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas was the only Democrat to break ranks and support the bill, according to Fox News.
The bill requires proof of citizenship when Americans register to vote, requires states to maintain voter rolls so that only eligible voters can cast ballots, and requires a photo ID to vote in federal elections.
The bill would also expose illegal immigrants on voter rolls to being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security.
House Minority Whip Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts framed the bill as a way to weed out female voters who changed their name after marriage, making it different form the one on a birth certificate.
Dems’ racist “blacks too poor for ID” lie crashed and burned, so now they’re whining that SAVE Act will hurt married women who took their husband’s name.
They lie about EVERYTHING!
Are Dems evil, hateful, and hypocrites?
A. YES
B. No pic.twitter.com/LOABpuEeIK— 𝔉🅰𝒏 Karoline Leavitt (@WHLeavitt) February 12, 2026
“Republicans aren’t worried about non-citizens voting. They’re afraid of actual American citizens voting. Why? Because they’re losing among women,” Clark said. “This is a minefield of red tape that you have put in front of women and American citizens and their right to vote.”
But Republicans said the law is needed to stop the tide of illegal immigrants that flooded into America in the Biden era from swamping elections.
“If we want to rebuild confidence again in American elections, we need to pass the SAVE Act,” Republican Rep. Mike Haridopolos of Florida said.
“What better way to eliminate that distrust than to make sure that whoever votes in an American citizen who is truly eligible to vote?”
Republican Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma said Democrats oppose the law because it endangers a prime party strategy of attracting illegal immigrants who will in time become Democratic Party voters.
Republican Rep. August Pfluger of Texas said that “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.”
Americans don’t want their legitimate votes canceled out by fraudulent ones.
Across the political spectrum, people need to feel confident that our elections are legitimate, regardless of the outcome.
The SAVE America Act will boost confidence by requiring proof of citizenship… pic.twitter.com/ueUIxfRG6b
— Senator Ron Johnson (@SenRonJohnson) February 12, 2026
Although the bill could theoretically impact the fall elections, it has to clear the vast barrier of the Senate.
Although Republicans have a majority in the Senate, the bill would need at least 60 votes to pass, which means a handful of Democrats would need to support it.
As noted by Fox News, Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska has already taken a stand against the bill, making passage even less likely.
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