Laila Kirkpatrick, Staff Writer
The House has passed legislation that would require anyone voting in federal elections to provide proof of U.S. citizenship. This was a major goal of the Trump administration and will place severe limits on who is legally allowed to vote. During the vote, nearly all Democrats made speeches saying that the bill would disenfranchise millions of Americans who don’t have access to proper documentation.
The bill was known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act and has garnered major support from the Republican Party. Many Republicans have claimed that this bill is necessary to ensure that citizens vote in U.S. elections. U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil chairs the House committee that handles election legislation and said that the bill is meant to, “restore Americans’ confidence in our elections” and prevent noncitizens from voting. Democrats and other voting rights groups have warned that voter disenfranchisement would become common if it were to become law.
