Issues

On Feb. 11, the U.S. House passed Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, also known as the SAVE America Act. The bill would require voter registration applicants to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship and impose strict photo identification rules to vote in federal elections. Similar bills with proof of citizenship requirements passed out of the House in 2024 and 2025 but stalled in the Senate. The 2026 version is largely similar but adds requirements related to voting in person and by mail.

Verifying citizenship for voters is the most significant trend in state elections legislation NCSL tracked in 2025, and that trend is likely to continue in 2026. Bills have been introduced offering a wide variety of approaches to ensuring only eligible U.S. citizens can vote; some ask the voter to take action, while others give state election officials tools to check citizenship status. New Hampshire and Louisiana both passed bills in 2024 requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register, and Wyoming did so in 2025. State versions of documentary proof may materially differ from the SAVE America Act. These states have not yet administered a federal election under the new requirements, though they have held lower-turnout elections.