The U.S. Senate has rejected the SAVE America Act, a wide-ranging election overhaul championed by former President Trump. The legislation had been a top priority for Trump and his congressional allies. The bill was voted down during discussions on an immigration funding package.
The House passed a version of the bill in February, but it stalled in the Senate. The legislation aimed to impose immediate changes, even as primary elections were underway. A key provision required voters to provide documents proving U.S. citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate, to register to vote. Studies indicate that many Americans lack easy access to these documents. Experts argue the provision addresses a problem that data show occurs rarely.
“The alleged sin that it is trying to correct happens so infrequently that it really does seem like the solution would be much, much worse than the disease,”
said Georgetown law professor Steve Vladeck in a spring interview with NPR.
Despite the data, Trump promoted the SAVE America Act as a solution to what he claims is widespread election fraud. In his State of the Union address, Trump urged Congress to prioritize the act. He accused Democrats of opposing it because they want to cheat. Trump frequently posted online about the act, even saying he would veto other legislation until the SAVE Act passed, labeling it a priority.
Some Republicans considered abolishing or bypassing the legislative filibuster to push the bill through. However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., recognized limited support among Republicans. He told reporters,
“It’s about the votes. It’s about the math.”
The legislation also proposed requiring all voters to show photo identification at the polls and mandating states to use a Department of Homeland Security tool, which has inaccurately flagged U.S. citizens.
Traditionally, Republicans have resisted nationalizing voting processes. However, Trump has supported such measures, advocating for national standards in voting. University of Notre Dame law professor Derek Muller indicated that, if enacted, the SAVE America Act would have been one of the most significant nationalization attempts in U.S. election history. According to Muller, the attempt itself could shift future legislative discussions.
“It does strike me that the debate has shifted from whether to nationalize elections to how,”
wrote Muller in a March blog post. He suggested that, despite the act’s failure, the conversation might advance under future Democratic control.
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