House passes SAVE Act to require voter ID, with only 1 Democrat in favor oan

OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
10:19 AM – Thursday, February 12, 2026

The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation supported by President Donald Trump that overhauls federal election protocols to strengthen voting integrity. The measure now heads to the Senate.

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act passed the House on Wednesday in a 218–213 vote. Republicans backed the bill unanimously, while Representative Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) was the lone Democrat to join them in support. All other Democrats voted against it.

Cuellar is considered one of the most conservative Democrats in the House and represents a border district in South Texas. He has a history of breaking with his party on issues like border security and election regulations.

Introduced by Representative Chip Roy (R-Texas), the legislation mandates that Americans provide documentary proof of citizenship to register for federal elections. While a valid U.S. passport or birth certificate would serve as primary proof, the bill also requires a government-issued photo ID — a standard already practiced in several states.

Furthermore, the measure requires state election officials to share data with federal authorities to verify citizenship and it empowers the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to pursue immigration enforcement if illegal aliens are identified on voter rolls.

Republicans champion the measure as a vital safeguard against election fraud and a necessary tool for maintaining voter integrity. Conversely, Democrats have denounced it as a form of “voter suppression,” claiming it creates prohibitive hurdles for millions of eligible voters. While it is currently a federal crime for non-citizens to vote, there is presently no federal mandate requiring documentary proof of citizenship during the registration process.

“Some of my colleagues will call this voter suppression or Jim Crow 2.0,” said Representative Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) at a committee hearing. He argued that “those allegations are false,” adding that “the current law is not strong enough” to truly prevent voter fraud.

Steil’s Republican colleagues overwhelmingly concurred.

“If we want to rebuild confidence again in American elections, we need to pass the SAVE Act,” Rep. Mike Haridopolos (R-Fla.) told Fox News. “What better way to eliminate that distrust than to make sure that whoever votes in an American citizen who is truly eligible to vote?”

 

Representative August Pfluger (R-Texas) also remarked in a video posted to social media that he “proudly voted to pass the SAVE America Act.”

“It requires you to register to vote and prove your citizenship. And then when you go and vote, it requires you to provide a government-issued ID,” he explained in a video posted to X on Wednesday. “This is common sense. We need the Senate to pass this. Most Americans, to the tune of 85%, agree that we should have election integrity.”

Additionally, Pfluger, the Republican Study Committee chairman, told Fox News that he believes, “Every single Democrat who voted no today proved they would rather let illegal aliens tip the scales in our national elections than protect your vote.”

Beyond the Democrat argument that stricter voter identification laws “disproportionately impact minority communities,” House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) has specifically accused Republicans of targeting women’s voting access.

Clark and other left-wing critics argue that the bill’s requirement for documentary proof of citizenship, which must match a voter’s current legal name, creates a significant hurdle for the millions of American women whose “names changed upon marriage or divorce” and who may not have updated birth certificates or passports reflecting those changes.

“Republicans aren’t worried about non-citizens voting. They’re afraid of actual American citizens voting. Why? Because they’re losing among women,” Clark said during debate on the House floor. “This is a minefield of red tape that you have put in front of women and American citizens and their right to vote.”

Cuellar, the lone Democrat in support of the measure, later released his own statement on X explaining why he defied his party’s position to approve the bill.

“I support the SAVE America Act because I believe in a fundamental principle: American citizens should decide American elections,” he stated, noting that his home state of Texas already has “strong photo ID standards,” crediting the Lone Star State.

“I want to explain clearly what this bill does and does not do. If you are already registered to vote, the status of your existing registration remains unchanged,” he continued.

Cuellar clarified that the bill also “requires states to accommodate name changes and accept multiple, commonly held forms of identification,” refuting Democrat criticism that the bill would make it impossible for married women to vote due to name change processes.

“If a citizen does not have those documents readily available, the bill provides a way to affirm citizenship through an affidavit,” he said. “This approach protects election integrity while treating eligible voters with fairness and respect.”