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The SAVE America Act is stalled on the Senate floor for discussion while Congress took off for their two-week spring break recess amid the on-going partial government shutdown, albeit a short-term DHS funding bill passed Friday to help alleviate the TSA nightmare at airports across the country.
Here’s what to know about the Senate vote on SAVE America Act status, what’s in the controversial voter ID bill and the odds it will pass.
The SAVE Act passed the House vote on Feb. 11 and was voted for consideration in the Senate on March 17. While it has not passed the Senate as of yet, the most recent attempt to pass amendment #4732 to the SAVE America Act bill — which would require a photo identification as a condition to cast a ballot in person and get rid of mail-in voting with exceptions for military, travel or illness — did not pass on March 26.
This amendment is one of the three other provisions that President Donald Trump is demanding be added to the SAVE America Act. The other two are preventing men from playing in women’s sports and prohibiting gender transition surgeries for children, however these have not been included to date.
Democrats remain unified against the voter ID bill, claiming the SAVE Act is voter “suppression” and calling it “dead on arrival” when it first came to the Senate, threatening to filibuster — a tactic that allows senators to prolong debate and prevent a vote, which would require 60 votes to break, also known as invoking cloture.
If and when the SAVE America Act is passed and signed into law, it would amend the National Voter Registration Act to require proof of citizenship — via in-person documentation — as an effort to make certain that all voters are United Sates citizens.
Did the SAVE Act pass the House and the Senate? Vote results, SAVE America Act status
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act Bill S.1383 or the SAVE America Act passed the House vote on Feb. 11 and remains up for debate on the Senate floor. It would require passing a full vote before it goes to the president’s desk to be signed into law.
The Senate voted on the motion to invoke cloture on Husted Amendment #4732 on Thursday, March 26; however. it failed by a vote of 53-47.
The Senate debate on the SAVE America Act is expected to continue on in a Republican effort to force a talking filibuster. The ruling party believes they can overcome the 60-vote threshold by requiring Democrats to hold the floor with continuous debate, opening the path for Republicans to pass the bill on a simple-majority debate.
When will the Senate vote on the SAVE America Act? Will the SAVE Act pass? Odds, predictions
After the most recent vote on March 26th, the Senate left for their Congressional spring break and are expected to take up the SAVE America Act debate upon their return on April 13.
The betting odds of the SAVE Act passing and becoming law are not favorable, with Kalshi predicting 10.9% favorability and Polymarket odds giving it a 13% chance of passing.
What is in the SAVE America Act 2026? SAVE Act explained, Real ID requirements
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act bill S.1383, or the SAVE America Act which passed the House on Feb. 11, requires Americans to provide proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote and show photo identification to vote in federal elections. The documentary proof includes identification that complies with the REAL ID Act of 2005 that indicates U.S. citizenship or a valid U.S. passport or a valid government-issued photo identification card that shows the applicant’s place of birth was in the United States, or a valid military ID or forms of Tribal identification.
The SAVE America Act bill also requires states to accept and process a voter registration application in the event of a name discrepancy in the applicant’s documentation, “as long as the applicant provides additional documentation” and then requires states to establish an alternative process to demonstrate U.S. citizenship.
The bill would additionally require removal of undocumented immigrants from existing voter rolls and allow elections officials that don’t follow the proof of citizenship requirement to be sued.
It is already illegal for non-citizens to vote. There are existing requirements in place, such as providing a Social Security number on voter registration applications, and matching voter rolls to federal data. Additionally, some states already have their own requirements for voter identification at the polls.
How does the SAVE Act impact new voters or married women? SAVE America Act details
Many Americans, especially people of color, low-income individuals and married and divorced women, do not have the required documentation and would face significant challenges in getting it, according to the Brennan Center For Justice.
Real IDs in most states do not indicate citizenship status and therefore another form of approved documentation would be needed, such as a birth certificate. However, for married women that may have taken their spouses’ last names and whose birth certificates no longer matches their legal names, this could become an additional barrier.
The SAVE Act would not allow proof of name change or a marriage certificate as acceptable proof of identity, impacting anyone with birth certificates that don’t match their current legal names.
Nearly 80% of women in opposite-sex marriages take their spouse’s surname, according to a 2023 study by Pew Research. Most married men – 92% – keep their last names.
The name change barrier is not solely a “married women” issue as million of men and unmarried women have had name changes for many other reasons.
The in-person requirement for proof of citizenship would also eliminate many popular registration methods such as registration by mail, voter registration drives, online voter registration, and automatic voter registration.
Maria Francis is a Pennsylvania-based journalist covering trending and breaking topics across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions for USA Today Network. Reach her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: What is in the SAVE America Act? Bill status, details, ID requirements
