SAVE America Act Statistics in US 2026 | Key Facts

SAVE America Act in the US 2026

The SAVE America Act (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act) stands as one of the most debated pieces of voting legislation in United States congressional history. Originally introduced in May 2024 as H.R. 8281 by Representative Chip Roy from Texas, this bill fundamentally proposes to reshape how Americans register to vote by mandating documentary proof of citizenship for all voter registration activities. The legislation passed the House of Representatives on July 10, 2024, with a recorded vote of 221-198, though it failed to advance in the then-Democratic controlled Senate.

The bill was reintroduced in January 2025 as H.R. 22 during the 119th Congress. On April 10, 2025, it passed the House again with 220-208 votes, with four Democrats joining all Republicans in support. As of February 2026, the SAVE Act remains under consideration in the Senate, where it requires 60 votes to overcome the filibuster. The bill would require every American citizen to provide documents such as a valid United States passport, birth certificate, or naturalization certificate when registering to vote or updating their voter registration due to name changes, address changes, or party affiliation switches. This represents a dramatic departure from current federal voter registration requirements, which allow citizens to register by affirming their citizenship under penalty of perjury. The SAVE America Act has generated unprecedented attention from election officials, voting rights organizations, and state secretaries of state who have raised concerns about implementation logistics and voter disenfranchisement.

Interesting Facts About SAVE America Act in the US 2026

Data sources: Congress.gov, House Clerk’s Office, U.S. Census Bureau, Brennan Center for Justice, VoteRiders, Center for American Progress, Nonprofit VOTE

The statistics reveal the extensive scope and potential impact of the SAVE America Act on American voters. The bill has garnered 110 Republican cosponsors in the House, demonstrating significant party support, while the 4 Democrats who voted for the measure in 2025 included Representatives Jared Golden (Maine), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Washington), Henry Cuellar (Texas), and Ed Case (Hawaii). Most significantly, research indicates that 21 million American citizens do not have ready access to the citizenship documentation that would be required under the SAVE Act, representing approximately 9% of the voting-age population. The fact that 146 million Americans lack valid passports and 69 million women have birth certificates that do not match their current legal names underscores the practical challenges the legislation would create for voter registration across the country.

SAVE Act Legislative History in the US 2026

Data source: Congress.gov, House Clerk’s Office, GovTrack.us

The SAVE Act has followed a consistent legislative trajectory across two congressional sessions. The original bill, H.R. 8281, was introduced during the 118th Congress and successfully passed the House with 221 yes votes and 198 no votes on July 10, 2024. However, the bill never received a vote in the Senate, which was controlled by Democrats at the time. When the 119th Congress convened in January 2025, Representative Chip Roy reintroduced the identical legislation as H.R. 22. This version passed the House on April 10, 2025, with a slightly narrower margin of 220-208 votes. The motion to recommit, which would have sent the bill back to committee, failed both times with 184-197 votes in 2024 and 211-215 votes in 2025. The Rules Committee approved consideration of H.R. 22 with a 9-2 vote, demonstrating strong Republican support for advancing the bill through the legislative process.

The bill’s passage in April 2025 represented a critical moment, as it moved to a Republican-controlled Senate. However, Senate procedures require 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, presenting a significant hurdle for passage. As of February 2026, the SAVE Act remains under Senate consideration, with 48 cosponsors supporting the Senate version (S. 128) sponsored by Senator Mike Lee of Utah. The legislation has not been scheduled for a floor vote, indicating ongoing debate and negotiation among senators regarding its provisions and potential amendments.

SAVE Act Document Requirements in the US 2026

Data sources: U.S. Department of State, Brennan Center for Justice, Center for American Progress, VoteRiders

The SAVE America Act establishes specific documentary proof requirements that present significant accessibility challenges for millions of Americans. The most commonly available document, a valid United States passport, is held by only approximately 50% of American citizens, leaving 146 million people without this form of identification. Obtaining a passport requires paying fees ranging from $130 for a passport card to $190 for a first-time adult passport book, along with providing documentation and waiting several weeks for processing. Birth certificates, the alternative proof document for most citizens, present their own obstacles. While most Americans were issued birth certificates at birth, 21 million voting-age citizens do not have ready access to these documents.

The name-matching requirement creates particularly acute problems for married women. An estimated 69 million women have birth certificates that do not match their current legal names due to marriage. The SAVE Act would require these women to provide additional documentation, such as marriage certificates, to prove the connection between their birth names and current legal names. Similarly, 4 million men face name mismatches on their birth certificates for various reasons. Enhanced driver’s licenses, which indicate citizenship status, are only offered in 8 states, making this option unavailable to the vast majority of Americans. The requirement for government-issued photo ID combined with birth certificates affects 34.5 million Americans who either lack photo identification entirely or have IDs that do not reflect their current name or address.

SAVE Act Impact on Voter Registration Methods in the US 2026

Data sources: U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Election Assistance Commission, Nonprofit VOTE

The SAVE America Act would fundamentally transform voter registration by eliminating or severely restricting the methods most Americans currently use. Online voter registration, now offered in 43 states plus the District of Columbia, would become virtually impossible because the bill requires in-person presentation of original citizenship documents. In 2022, almost 11 million Americans registered to vote online, a method that has proven especially popular among younger voters and those with mobility challenges. The SAVE Act would force these millions of citizens to instead visit government offices in person with original documents.

Mail-in voter registration, which accommodated over 7 million new registrants in 2022, would be severely restricted under the bill’s requirements. Motor vehicle office registrations, which currently account for 32.2% of all registration transactions, would require applicants to bring citizenship documentation to DMV offices. Most dramatically, automatic voter registration programs, which now account for 26.4% of registration transactions and have successfully registered millions of citizens through DMV interactions, would be completely eliminated. Voter registration drives conducted by nonprofits would become effectively impossible, as these drives cannot accept or verify citizenship documents. With 189.5 million total registered voters in 2025 and 21 million citizens lacking ready access to required documents, the potential for mass disenfranchisement represents an unprecedented disruption.

SAVE Act Demographic Impact in the US 2026

Data sources: Brennan Center for Justice, VoteRiders, Center for American Progress, Fair Elections Center

The SAVE America Act would create disproportionate barriers across demographic groups. While 9% of all voting-age citizens (approximately 21 million people) lack ready access to citizenship documentation, this rises to 11% among citizens of color compared to 8% among white citizens, reflecting longstanding inequalities in access to government services and bureaucratic resources. The impact on 69 million married women whose birth certificates do not match current legal names represents one of the most significant single-group effects, requiring additional documents such as marriage certificates.

Low-income voters face compounding barriers, as passport costs ($130-$190) represent significant financial burdens. The 21 million citizens without driver’s licenses often lack basic identification due to economic constraints, while 34.5 million Americans whose government-issued IDs do not reflect current names or addresses would need to navigate multiple bureaucratic processes before satisfying SAVE Act requirements.

SAVE Act State Implementation Examples in the US 2026

Data sources: Fair Elections Center, Secretaries of State, Nonprofit VOTE

Historical implementation of documentary proof of citizenship requirements at the state level provides concrete evidence of the SAVE America Act’s potential impact. Kansas implemented a documentary proof of citizenship requirement that resulted in 31,000 eligible citizens being blocked from registering to vote. These were not non-citizens attempting to vote illegally, but rather American citizens who lacked immediate access to the required documentation. Arizona similarly implemented documentary proof requirements that created registration obstacles for tens of thousands of eligible voters.

Only 8 states currently offer enhanced driver’s licenses that indicate citizenship status, limiting this alternative documentation option to a small fraction of the American population. The 43 states plus the District of Columbia that currently offer online voter registration would see these systems become effectively unusable under the SAVE Act, as the in-person presentation requirement contradicts the fundamental purpose of online registration. States that have implemented automatic voter registration programs, which now account for 26.4% of registration transactions nationally, would be forced to eliminate these highly successful programs.

SAVE Act Congressional Support in the US 2026

Data sources: Congress.gov, House Clerk’s Office, GovTrack.us

Congressional support for the SAVE America Act has remained consistently strong among Republican lawmakers across both legislative attempts. In the 119th Congress, H.R. 22 attracted 110 cosponsors, all of whom were Republicans, with 53 serving as original cosponsors who signed on when the bill was first introduced on January 3, 2025. The Senate version, S. 128, has garnered 48 cosponsors including 15 original cosponsors, all from the Republican caucus.

The House passage votes demonstrate the bill’s consistent support level. In 2024, H.R. 8281 passed with 221 yes votes against 198 no votes. When reintroduced as H.R. 22 in 2025, the vote was 220-208. Notably, 4 Democrats broke with their party in 2025 to vote yes: Representatives Jared Golden (Maine), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Washington), Henry Cuellar (Texas), and Ed Case (Hawaii). However, the critical challenge remains in the Senate, where 60 votes are required to overcome a filibuster, and current cosponsor counts suggest the bill has not yet achieved this threshold as of February 2026.

SAVE Act Election Administration Impact in the US 2026

Data sources: Nonprofit VOTE, National Association of Secretaries of State, Fair Elections Center

The administrative burden of implementing the SAVE America Act would require 43 states plus the District of Columbia to completely redesign or eliminate online voter registration systems. These systems cost millions of dollars to develop and would require fundamental restructuring to accommodate in-person document presentation requirements. Election officials would need comprehensive training in document verification, including recognizing authentic birth certificates from all 50 states and U.S. territories, verifying passport validity, and determining whether naturalization certificates are genuine.

The document verification burden extends to 189.5 million currently registered voters who update registrations due to address changes, name changes, or party affiliation switches, as the SAVE Act requires citizenship documentation for all registration updates. The potential for voter roll purges affecting 21 million citizens who lack ready access to documents represents unprecedented mass disenfranchisement risk. State election budgets would face unknown cost increases potentially reaching billions of dollars nationally to implement these sweeping changes.

SAVE Act Status and Future Outlook in the US 2026

Data sources: Congress.gov, legislative tracking services, news reports

As of February 2026, the SAVE America Act (H.R. 22) has successfully passed the House of Representatives with a vote of 220-208 but remains pending in the Senate. The bill was received in the Senate on April 10, 2025, but has not yet been scheduled for a floor vote. With 48 Republican cosponsors in the Senate, the legislation has substantial support within the Republican caucus but falls short of the 60 votes required to overcome a Senate filibuster. Republican strategists would need to convince 12 additional senators beyond current cosponsors to support the bill.

Public opposition has remained strong and widespread, with major voting rights organizations, civil liberties groups, and election administration professionals maintaining active campaigns against passage. State election officials have emphasized they are not prepared to implement the SAVE Act requirements and would need significant time and resources to redesign registration systems. Legal challenges would almost certainly follow if the SAVE Act becomes law, with constitutional questions regarding Congress’s authority to impose citizenship verification requirements on voter registration.

Disclaimer: This research report is compiled from publicly available sources. While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, no representation or warranty, express or implied, is given as to the completeness or reliability of the information. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions, losses, or damages of any kind arising from the use of this report.

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