A week after the Republican-backed SAVE America Act was introduced to the U.S. Senate, lawmakers are continuing to debate the bill to overhaul voting. The House narrowly passed it in February.
In order to vote in federal elections, people have long been required to attest to citizenship when they register under penalty of perjury. But Republicans have said that is not enough, and have pushed to require documentary proof through this legislation, which President Trump strongly supports.
The bill likely won’t pass, since Republicans don’t have enough votes to advance it.
Officials from multiple states have called the SAVE Act a tool designed to kick millions of legally registered Americans off voter rolls. Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs is among those who oppose the bill, in part because of how it would impact voters.
Hobbs joined colleagues from California, Minnesota and Connecticut in a virtual news conference last week to discuss the bill and urge senators from both parties to vote against it.
Hobbs said the proposed rules are too expensive to enforce.
"Our early estimates show the overall estimated election cost for the 2026 midterms would increase $35 to $40 million statewide,” he said. “That's in November. That's seven months from now. We are not budgeted for that."
Among the changes, registered voters in a vote-by-mail state like Washington would also have to add a copy of their identification to their mail-in ballot, which Hobbs said would present even more barriers.
“Does your 80-year-old mom have a copy machine at home? Because mine doesn’t,” Hobbs said.
Another of the bill's provisions would require all voters to present proof of citizenship when registering, and a photo identification at the time of voting.
To register, regular driver's licenses would no longer be a valid form of ID, though enhanced licenses would still qualify. And if a person's name was different from what appeared on their birth certificate, that individual would need to make sure passports or other valid documentation reflect the name change.
If passed, the act’s changes would take effect immediately. NPR has reported that opponents of the legislation believe that would burden voters as well as election officials heading into the midterms.
If the SAVE Act is passed and is signed into law by Trump, Hobbs said, Washington state will file suit against it.
