Ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, Republicans in Congress are pushing forward multiple bills that would standardize election security requirements nationwide.
All three pieces of legislation being considered – the SAVE Act, the SAVE America Act, and the MEGA Act – would mandate that states require photo ID and verify the citizenship status of potential voters.
“I think we can trust the outcome of the election, but what I will tell you is that there is still a great concern that in certain pockets of the country, that there’s not strict enforcement of the laws,” U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters Tuesday.
He praised the SAVE America Act, a bill mirroring the House-passed SAVE Act, which requires Americans to present proof of citizenship when registering to vote, mandates in-person voter registration for federal elections, and requires states to remove all noncitizens from their voter rolls.
Since the Senate still hasn’t taken up the SAVE Act after 300 days – despite Republican pressure to do so – House members will vote on the SAVE America Act on Wednesday. The bills are identical except that the latter would also require people to display a valid ID to vote in federal elections.
With a valid ID necessary for everything from applying for a job to renting a hotel room, the legislation is “common sense,” Johnson argued.
“There’s only one logical reason that Democrats are opposed to this – they want the people to participate in elections who are not supposed to,” he added. “So the fact that they’re so vehemently opposing this is very telling about their agenda and their motivation.”
Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., made similar arguments during a congressional hearing Tuesday centering around the MEGA Act, which he sponsored.
The bill includes the same requirements as the two others but also prohibits ranked choice voting, ends universal voting by mail, and requires mail-in ballots to be received by the close of polls on election day to be counted.
“The commonsense reforms House Republicans are proposing today will ensure it remains easy to vote, but hard to cheat,” Steil said during the hearing. “Elections should end on Election Day. You need a photo ID to cast a ballot. You must be a citizen to vote. You need an auditable paper trail. And you shouldn’t mail a ballot to people that don’t request them.”
Democrats have labeled every bill as vehicles of voter suppression, saying that federal law already prohibits noncitizens from voting and the bills would simply make it harder for veterans, the disabled, minorities, and women who change their last names to register to vote.
Under the bills, people would not be able to register to vote with only their driver’s license, since noncitizens can obtain that. They must instead present documents proving U.S. citizenship, such as a birth certificate or U.S. passport, which some Americans might not have.
“Let’s be clear up front: This is not about protecting our elections. Republicans aren’t truly afraid of non-citizens voting — which we all know is already illegal, already grounds for deportation. They’re afraid of women voting,” Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., said Tuesday. “They are trying to place more red tape, more paperwork, more bureaucracy between women and the ballot box.”
Thérèse Boudreaux is a reporter covering the federal government for The Center Square, with a focus on Congress. Previously, she covered the states of Michigan and Wisconsin, with a focus on the 2024 elections. Thérèse graduated with a major in politics from Hillsdale College in May of 2024, where she produced award-winning radio journalism.
Reprinted with Permission from The Center Square – By Thérèse Boudreaux
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AMAC or AMAC Action.
We all know this is not about rights of people but about the very survival of that which calls itself democratic party, there is the law regarding this matter, apply it You can’t cash a check without the ID, but you have a right to vote without it, only in the world according to the left.
Today’s democrat party is the party of treason. They should all be held accountable.
Here in Wisconsin we passed a referendum twice and now its law in our state Constitution to present photo voter ID for our elections. I haven’t had any issues with people complaining when they come to vote about presenting their picture ID. Democrats and Republicans all wanted voter ID. It should be nation wide to stop the fraud and stealing of elections. If you are a citizen and want to vote get your id updated and make sure its current with your address. Absentee ballots should be received by a time on election day, otherwise its not counted. This is ridiculous to count ballots two weeks after the election. Nothing but fraud can occur.
I’m with Steil, its just common sense/decency. Anyone who opposes this law, is notably willing to allow the wrong people to vote, and for the voting process to go on and on, not have a deadline of “election day”. I am so tired of waiting weeks to know the election score.
I’m from Wi.and in 2020- they were “voting in the park”. In one of our most liberal cities,our state Capitol, people were encouraged to come and cast their ballot in the park- these ballots were then turned in and counted. How many of these people do you think showed IDs? This was paid for by Zucker bucks as was the a
Ballot box stuffing. Ballot boxes were put up all over Milwaukee for people to turn in their ” by mail ballots”. Dinesh Disousa made a film about voter cheating and filmed people stuffing those boxes late at night, then taking a picture to show they had” delivered “. These people were paid for stuffing these boxes. In a state that has voter ID- this was the perfect way to cheat. Wisconsin was found to be one of the top cheating states in that election. We’ve got to do more to stop the illegal voting by mail. I am proud of my country and it’s no problem to stand in line in election day and show my idea. The mail in ballots have to stop except in very controlled cases.
and here we are still waiting for them to pass term limits, paying for their own health ins,permanent retirement pay (that they didn’t earn) & the need to put the illegal ones in prison.
What the treasonous Democrats want to do is nullify votes of legitimate citizens with those of illegal aliens that have been bought off with OUR tax dollars.
NEVER VOTE FOR A DEMOCRAT, AND CHOOSE YOUR CONSERVATIVES WISELY.
Any Democrat who says “The save Act will suppress votes” is correct.
I will suppress FRAUDULANT votes!!!!
We must have voter ID and proof of citizenship in all 50 states. If we don’t our republic will be lost, and our country will become like every other country in the world where there are dictators.
If 71% of the Democratic voters want voter ID but the Democratic Politicians are fighting it all the way (along with a few RINO’s), all of them need to be voted out of office because they are traitorous snakes.
Lets expose ALL the Democrat LIES that they have been relying and depending on to rig elections for the last 60+ years.
The mega-corrupt Democrats say:
THE DEMOCRATS ARE INSULTING EACH OF THESE ‘GROUPS’ OF POTENTIAL VOTERS AND INSISTING EACH GROUP ARE STUPID INCOMPETENT PEOPLE, INCAPABLE OF HAVING THE INTELLIGENCE TO TAKE THE NECESSARY STEPS TO SIMPLY REGISTER, GET TO THE POLLS AND HAVE PROPER ID.
THIS DIRTY, INSULTING SCHEME HAS BEEN A LIE AND HAS BEEN USED FOR THE PAST 50+ YEARS. IT IS SHAMEFUL AND A DISGRACE.
Another BLATANT AND DISPICABLE DAMN LIE comes from the Democrat’s Whip, another TDS-suffering, lying and corrupt Democrat Kathy Clark, D-Mass. She had the shameless audacity to blurt out “They’re afraid of women voting, They are trying to place more red tape, more paperwork, more bureaucracy between women and the ballot box”. This hallucinating corrupt habitually lying clown seems to forget that in the 2024 election, more women switched parties (along with Hispanics and Blacks) and backed Trump, which helped put him over the top.
Yeah, Trump makes it harder for women, and all these other groups to vote. GIVE ME A FRICKIN BREAK. AMERICA IS NOT GOING TO FALL FOR THE SAME OLD, DECADES-LONG DEMOCRAT BULL$HIT LIES ANY LONGER.
The ONLY people Trump is making voting harder for are the ILLEGALS, FELONS, and other SCUM that should NOT BE VOTING. (Which would be the entire NEW Democrat base). And that INFURIATES THEM INTO A FRENZY OF INSANITY.
Katherine Clark is scared. Guess what? My wife is female and a veteran! Get a clue!
I bought an 8 pack of beer the other day. The clerk asked for my ID. No problem. I just figured at 78 years of age they could see I was old enough. No problem I gave her my licenses. To my surprise she scanned the back into the register and the purchase was ok’d. When are the people of the US going to WAKE UP and see that the communist democrat party want all votes no matter if they are US citizens or not. They could be from the CONGO or the Nation of China. JUST GIVE US YOUR VOTE!
Voter ID, meaning some sort of state-issued picture ID, is not good enough. Most of the Communist – er, I mean Democrat – run states routinely issue state driver’s licenses to illegals; there are likely millions of them by now.
no ID no participation period, NO FURTHER DISCUSSION NEEDED.
Now the question is when, if ever, will the Senate take action on any of these bills?
Will the Senate do something to get around the coming filibuster?
Why hasn’t Thune replaced the Parliamentarian who was appointed by democrat Harry Reed?
I am a woman of color. I DO NOT reject the idea of Voter ID! It is a necessary tool to keep those who should not vote from voting in our elections! I am also married and I have no problem showing my marriage license, Birth Certificate or any other proof of who I am in order to vote! I am also a poll worker in New York (Suffolk County) and you would not believe how many people come to the polls with proof of their identity even though it is not required! So, my question to the Dems who oppose this legislation is this – What’s Up?
To the author, Ms. Boudreaux, I believe the word you used for “MEGA” Act should be “MAGA” which stands for Make America Great Again. Great article and sums up how evil the Democrats/Communists in the country want to take over the government that so far has allowed us to remain and free country for the most part. We need some smart Republicans to put their heads together and figure out a way to stop their evil ways.