Most Americans want all eligible voters to be able to vote. They don’t want the results of our elections determined for us by those who will do anything to hold onto power.  Here’s what to know about the federal push to restrict voting access nationwide:

The SAVE America Act was introduced and passed the House in early 2026 and taken up by the Senate in mid-March. In addition to the failed 2025 SAVE Act's requirement that voters provide proof of citizenship to register to vote, the bill requires voters to show a photo ID at the polls. It also requires all states to run their voter lists through the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification of Entitlements (SAVE) system to identify voters who may be noncitizens. Additional legislation, such as the Make Elections Great Again Act, also requires documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote, among other measures. Many state legislatures have similar bills pending, though Connecticut is not one of them at this time, according to a Voting Rights Lab tracker.

Make no mistake:  the SAVE America Act is one of the most brazen attacks on women’s voting rights in the League’s 106-year history. By creating a system of deliberate erasure for 69 million women, this bill doesn’t secure our elections; it architects exclusion. In a country where only 64% of eligible voters turned out to vote in the last Presidential election, this bill threatens to lock the door on nearly half the nation.

- Celina Stewart, Esq., Chief Executive Officer of the League of Women Voters.

Proof of Citizenship requirements

These bills would require that citizens provide very specific proof-of-citizenship documents in person when registering to vote and each time they need to update their registration.
Voters would be required to present either a passport or a certified copy of their birth certificate, and additional documents if their current name doesn’t match their citizenship document, such as a marriage certificate or a court-ordered name change decree.

The proponents of these bills falsely claim that rampant non-citizen voting is threatening the integrity of our elections. The facts tell a different story: By disenfranchising millions of eligible Americans, these laws would affect the results of future elections. 

• Non-citizen voting is rare and does not affect election outcomes, as consistently shown by nationwide studies and state audits. 
• Non-citizens voting is already illegal in all state and federal elections and carries heavy criminal penalties, such as fines, permanent revocation of any legal immigration status, jail time, and even deportation.
• 21 million Americans already lack access to the ID documents required by these bills.
• The bills would block millions more from voting, including those who have changed their names—69 million married women, trans people, survivors of domestic violence, and adoptees—as well as voters of color, senior voters, rural voters, tribal voters, survivors of natural disasters, and voters with disabilities. 
• These bills would allow the federal government to trample on states’ authority to administer elections, ending online and mail-in voter registration, as well as nonpartisan registration drives.

Help protect our freedom to vote!

The 2025 SAVE Act failed, and these newer voter elimination bills can be defeated as well.  

Learn more. Spread the word so your community and legislators know how harmful these bills are to voters. Make a plan to vote in every local, state, and federal election. 

Join the League of Women Voters’ Unite & Rise 8.5 initiative, and commit to defending our democracy.

Unite & Rise 8.5 is part of the LWV Women Defend Democracy campaign and aims to build a movement of 8.5 million individuals to fight back against the anti-democratic actions of the current administration through advocacy, mobilization, civic education, and engagement.