What’s in the ‘SAVE America Act’ and why is it so important to Donald Trump?

The federal elections overhaul bill that’s a top priority for President Donald Trump already faced near-impossible odds in the Senate, but the White House is making the “SAVE America Act” even more difficult to pass by insisting that Republicans load it up with additional controversial provisions.

The version that passed the House in February – focused on adding strict new ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements for voting – is not expected to get the approval of the Senate because Republicans lack the votes to eliminate the filibuster, which allows the Democratic minority to block the bill.

But Trump has doubled down, commanding Republicans to add provisions that would end the widespread practice of no-excuse mail voting and target transgender policies that have been effective culture war fights for the GOP yet are unrelated to the running of elections. And he’s not letting the issue go: On Wednesday, he abruptly canceled a planned signing of a bipartisan housing bill, insisting lawmakers first move on the SAVE America Act.

If either the current iteration of the bill, or the pie-in-the-sky version Trump is now reaching for, were to become law, it would be a massive disruption for this year’s midterm elections. (Under an earlier draft of the “SAVE America Act” some of the provisions would have not taken effect until next year, but a last-minute change to the bill in the House makes those requirements take effect immediately upon enactment),

Election experts say documented cases of voter fraud – especially voting by non-citizens – are exceedingly rare. The right-leaning Heritage Foundation’s database of confirmed fraud cases, for instance, shows fewer than 100 examples of noncitizens improperly casting ballots between 2000 and 2025.

Currently, states that on their own are trying to implement proof of citizenship mandates for voting can only do so for state and local elections, so proponents of the federal legislation say it is a much-needed fix so states can enforce those requirements up and down the ballot. Critics say the legislation puts unnecessary burdens on voters, requiring them to present documents that millions of Americans don’t have easy access to in order to exercise the franchise.

Current provisions

Proof of Citizenship

Individuals would have to present to election officials in person documents proving their citizenship, such as a birth certificate, US passport or a naturalization certificate, to register to vote. In cases such as marriage – where the name on a birth certificate doesn’t match the voter’s current name – voter registration applicants would be allowed to submit additional documents that explain the discrepancy.

More than 21 million otherwise eligible voters do not have easy access to those citizenship documents, according to a survey conducted by the Brennan Center, a left-leaning think tank that researches election issues, and other groups.

Supporters of the bill have argued that a REAL ID, such as those required at airports, would suffice for meeting the citizenship document requirement. However, that is only true for the handful of states that issue REAL IDs that indicate a person’s citizenship.

Currently, voters simply sign an attestation, under penalty of perjury, that they are US citizens.

Voter registration

The bill would complicate a person’s ability to register online or by mail, because those using those registration methods would have to still go to their election office in person to show their proof of citizenship.

Jason Snead, a proponent of the bill who leads the Honest Elections Project, argued because an “overwhelming majority of people register to vote in person through the DMV already,” that extra step would not be a burden for most voters. Still, it would curtail the kinds of voter registration drives that are prominent in the lead-up to elections.

Voter ID requirement

The bill would require voters to present “valid photo identification” to cast a ballot in federal elections. Acceptable forms of ID include state-issued driver’s licenses, US passports, and those issued to military and tribal members. The bill does not include identification cards issued by schools and colleges among its acceptable photo IDs, which critics say unfairly targets younger voters.

People seeking to vote by mail would need to submit copies of their IDs both when they request an absentee ballot and when they submit it, though there are some exceptions for some voters.

Currently, there is no nationwide requirement for photo ID to vote, although many states mandate some form of voter ID to cast ballots.

Voter roll database

The bill sets out additional steps states would need to take to remove ineligible individuals from the lists of people who can vote in congressional and presidential elections.

The measure urges states to verify voters’ eligibility by using a federal citizenship-verification tool revamped last year by the Trump administration, as well as other databases. However, some state audits already conducted through that system have incorrectly tagged legitimate votes as suspected noncitizens, and dozens of Democratic officials at the state level have resisted the administration’s efforts to obtain lists of voters in their states.

Those voter roll verification mandates are why the bill’s proof of citizenship would have such a broad reach. Not only would new voters be required to show citizenship documents when they register, currently registered voters whose citizenship status was put into doubt by the voter list reviews would have to provide the documents as well to stay on the rolls.

Consequences for election officials and people unlawfully registered to vote

The legislation adds new penalties for election officials who run afoul of the law. They would face criminal penalties if they register a person to vote who has not met the bill’s proof of citizenship requirement.

The legislation also seeks to give private individuals and groups the ability to file civil lawsuits against election officials for registering people who have not shown proof of citizenship.

Additionally, the “SAVE America Act” would instruct the federal government to investigate and potentially deport non-citizens who have been unlawfully registered to vote.

There is already a high turnover rate in election offices because of the threats and harassment administrators face, said Michael McNulty, the policy director of Issue One, an organization focused on democracy. The additional legal risks could “exacerbate” that turnover.

What Trump wants added:

End most mail-in voting

Trump has repeatedly demanded that the legislation ends most mail-in voting altogether. He says that people should only be allowed to vote absentee if they’re disabled, ill, serving in the military, or are traveling.

Currently, 36 states and the District of Columbia allow either no-excuse mail voting or conduct their elections entirely by mail, according to the National Conference of State Legislators.

Given its widespread use in both red and blue states, getting Republicans united behind ending most mail voting would be a challenge. A separate elections overhaul bill, the “Make Elections Great Again Act,” which includes some mail-in voting prohibitions Trump wants has not advanced in either the House or Senate.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, asked about Trump’s proposal to end most mail voting, said “there were questions” lawmakers were asking about the demand. “I understand his passion,” Thune said of Trump, and suggested a narrower proposal that would restrict the collection of mail ballots by third parties would have more support.

“As a general rule, people requesting ballots, and they’ve got legitimate reasons for requesting them, I think a lot of states use that process and use it pretty well,” he said.

‘No men in women sports’

Trump has said to add language in the legislation that would prohibit transgender athletes from playing on sports-teams aligned with their gender identity.

Asked by CNN for specifics on the proposal, the White House pointed to comments by spokesperson Karoline Leavitt describing the legislation as “permanently” banning “men from competing in women’s sports.”

Ban on some transgender procedures for minors

Trump also wants language added that would ban “transgender mutilation of our children.” It appears he is taking aim at surgeries associated with transgender care.

It is already very rare for transgender minors to undergo surgical procedures, though in some states, trans minors can obtain hormonal treatments.

The current state of play

Trump has made clear that he wants to expand the legislation to advance other priorities. But even the version of the “SAVE America Act” that already passed the House faces near-insurmountable roadblocks in the Senate.

Thune has said that as a “clear-eyed realist,” Republicans would not have the 50 votes required to abolish the filibuster – the 60-vote procedural hurdle that allows Democrats to block the bill. GOP Sen. Rick Scott told CNN Wednesday that he delivered the message to Trump during a closed-door lunch meeting that Republicans simply do not have the votes.

To get around the reluctance to end the filibuster altogether, some conservative advocates have suggested that the Senate could force Democrats to stage a “talking filibuster,” which would in theory put the onus on the legislation’s opponents to continually make floor speeches to stall the bill. However, that idea does not have enough buy-in among Republicans, as it’s seen as effectively nuking the filibuster.