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Conservatives have long argued for stronger laws to combat voter fraud, something that election experts say is exceedingly rare.
- April 10, 2025, 3:07 p.m. ET
The House on Thursday passed legislation that would require people to prove that they are U.S. citizens when they register to vote, the latest effort in a Republican-led push to tighten voting laws that is tied to President Trump’s debunked claims of widespread election fraud.
Voting by noncitizens happens rarely, and it is already illegal in federal elections. But Mr. Trump and his Republican allies repeatedly insisted throughout his 2024 campaign that noncitizens were flooding to the polls as he railed against immigration and tried to sow doubt about election integrity.
The House bill, which passed on a vote of 220 to 208, would order states to obtain proof of citizenship, such as a passport or a birth certificate, in person from those seeking to register to vote. It would also require states to remove noncitizens from their voter rolls.
The legislation echoes a far-reaching executive order that Mr. Trump signed last month in an effort to change U.S. voting rules to address grievances stemming from his lie that the 2020 election was stolen from him.
Four centrist-leaning Democrats joined Republicans to pass the bill, known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE, Act. But it faces long odds in the Senate, where seven Democrats would have to join Republicans to allow it to proceed to a vote.
Conservatives have long argued for stronger laws to combat voter fraud, something that election experts say is exceedingly rare. For years, they have pushed for laws requiring voters to offer photo identification when they arrive at the polls.
