The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act

Fact Sheet - Monday, June 3, 2024

---

Radical progressive Democrats are taking drastic steps to fundamentally remake America through open borders, the release of millions of illegal aliens into our communities, and by waging a full-scale assault on election integrity laws.

The Problem: Since taking office, Joe Biden’s administration has released at least 4.6 million illegal aliens into the country, with 1.8 million known “gotaways.” In many states, these illegal aliens are eligible for driver’s licenses and other benefits, providing ample opportunities to illegally register to vote in Federal elections. In some jurisdictions, non-citizens are even able to vote in local elections. While only U.S. citizens can legally vote in Federal elections, Federal law has generally preempted and undermined state laws requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote in such elections.

Rep. Chip Roy’s SAVE Act would fix this problem, thwart Democrat efforts to cement one-party rule, and uphold and strengthen current law by requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote in Federal elections.

• Amends the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), which has governed state voter registration since 1993, to require states to obtain documentary proof of U.S. citizenship and identity – in person – when registering an individual to vote in a Federal election.
  • This requirement applies regardless of whether an individual is registering to vote at a DMV, a voter registration agency (such as a welfare office), or by mail.
  • Directs states to establish an alternative process for applicants that may not have documentary proof of citizenship but are in fact U.S. citizens (due to religious reasons or otherwise), subject to minimum standards set by the Election Assistance Commission and signed attestations and affidavits by both the applicant and official making the determination.
  • Directs states to provide reasonable accommodations for disabled Americans and applicants that have discrepancies on their documentation due to a name change.
• Requires states to establish a program to remove non-citizens from their existing voter rolls and gives states no-cost access to Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration databases to do so.
• Empowers citizens to bring civil suits against election officials that fail to uphold proof of citizenship requirements for Federal elections by expanding the NVRA’s existing private right of action, and adds penalties for election officials that register non-citizens to vote in Federal elections.
• Directs the Election Assistance Commission to promptly update any guidance associated with the SAVE Act and streamlines updates to federal forms by exempting the updates from the Paperwork Reduction Act.