Secretary Gray Applauds U.S. House Passage of SAVE America Act

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday approved the SAVE America Act by a vote of 218 to 213. The lone Democrat that voted in favor of the bill was Representative Henry Cueller of Texas. Secretary of State Chuck Gray says he applauds the House passage of the SAVE America Act and that he hopes that the Senate also passes this key election integrity measure.

According to a summary of the bill at Congress.gov, the bill requires individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. Specifically, the bill prohibits states from accepting and processing an application to register to vote in a federal election unless the applicant presents documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. The bill specifies what documents are considered acceptable proof of U.S. citizenship, such as identification that complies with the REAL ID Act of 2005 that indicates U.S. citizenship.

Further, the bill prohibits states from registering an individual to vote in a federal election unless, at the time the individual applies to register to vote, the individual provides documentary proof of U.S. citizenship and requires states to establish an alternative process under which an applicant may submit other evidence to demonstrate U.S. citizenship.