House passes SAVE Act, requiring proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration

The House of Representatives passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act on Thursday, which would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote for federal elections.

The final vote was 220-208, with one Democrat absent due to medical issues. Four Democrats voted with all the Republicans in support of the bill. Four Republicans didn't vote.

While non-citizens are prohibited from voting in federal, state, and most local elections, municipalities in California, Maryland and Vermont, and Washington, D.C., allow non-citizens to vote in local elections.

The SAVE Act would amend the 1993 National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) – also called the “motor voter” law – to make states require documentation of a person's U.S. citizenship before registering to vote in federal elections and to ensure that states remove non-citizens from their voter rolls.