These 4 States Already Enacted SAVE Act Look-Alikes While John Thune Does Failure Theater
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Other states are set to vote on amendment language clarifying that ‘only’ U.S. citizens can vote in elections.
While the SAVE America Act continues to languish in the Senate under the supervision of Republican Leader John Thune, leaders and voters in several states have taken it upon themselves to secure their own elections from noncitizen voting.
The overwhelmingly popular SAVE America Act would amend U.S. election law to require proof of citizenship when registering to vote and voter ID when casting a ballot in federal elections. Federal lawmakers in the GOP-led Senate have yet to advance the common-sense legislation or commit to a “talking filibuster” that would allow it to pass with a simple majority. Meanwhile, within recent weeks, several states enacted their own citizenship verification election laws. Others are set to vote on amendment language clarifying that “only” U.S. citizens can vote in elections.
Already Law
Florida
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Florida’s own version of the SAVE Act into law last week. The law, which requires citizenship verification against REAL ID data when registering to vote, will go into effect in January of next year.
According to DeSantis’ office, the law also allows applicants to present proof confirming their eligibility, “establishes a clear process to identify and remove potentially ineligible noncitizens from voter rolls,” includes “explicit notice that submitting false voter registration information is a felony,” and mandates voting take place on paper ballots.The state has adopted a number of election reforms since 2020, including stronger vote-by-mail safeguards, more secure ballot drop boxes, and stricter enforcement of election law, as DeSantis’ office noted.
Mississippi
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves also signed election integrity legislation into law last week. Named the Safeguard Honesty Integrity in Elections for Lasting Democracy (SHIELD) Act, the law requires registration officials to check certain applicants’ information against the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database to determine if they are citizens. This verification is required for registration applicants who are flagged as potential noncitizens or who do not provide their driver’s license number when registering to vote. As in Florida, if an applicant is determined to be a potential noncitizen, he will be given a chance to present documentation that proves citizenship.
The law also requires the registrar to annually report to the secretary of state “[t]he number of registrants flagged by a SAVE system check” and the number taken off the rolls “following confirmation.”
This law will take effect in July, ahead of the 2026 midterms.
South Dakota
Ironically, Thune’s own state has moved faster than he has when it comes to ensuring only Americans vote in American elections. Gov. Larry Rhoden signed South Dakota’s SB 175 into law last month. According to SDPB Radio, the legislation “requires anyone registering to vote for the first time in the state to provide proof of citizenship,” like a driver’s license issued after July 1, 2025 (the state recently enacted a law mandating that citizenship status be denoted on driver’s licenses), or a copy of a birth certificate.
“In South Dakota, we do things right, especially when running our state elections,” Rhoden said in a statement. “This bill ensures only citizens vote in state elections, keeping our elections safe and secure.”
This law went into effect immediately.
Utah
Gov. Spencer Cox signed Utah’s HB 209 into law late last month, and it is set to take effect on May 6 — more than a month before the state’s primary election. The law requires proof of citizenship when registering to vote in state elections. If an applicant registers to vote using a “federal voter registration form” and does not provide documentary proof of citizenship as laid out in the law, that voter can only vote in federal races.
The law also dictates that “a review of voter registration records be conducted by July 1 this year,” as Time summarized it. Voters who are already registered but “whose citizenship cannot be verified in that review will be notified by election officials and have to provide proof of citizenship to stay on the rolls.”
On the Ballot
In addition to the four states that have already enacted SAVE Act look-alikes, a number of others are set to vote on amendment language that seeks to protect American elections from noncitizen voters.
Alaska voters will vote this November on the Alaska Citizenship Voting Requirement Initiative, which would change the language in state law to mandate that “only” U.S. citizens vote in elections.
The law currently reads: “A person may vote at any election who is a citizen of the United States.” If the ballot initiative passes, state law would be amended to say: “Only a person who is a citizen of the United States … may vote at any election.”
Voters in West Virginia, Kansas, and Arkansas will decide on similar initiatives this November as well, although these proposals would specifically amend the state constitutions.
Although not yet officially on the ballot, signatures for two citizenship verification constitutional amendment proposals in California and Michigan have been submitted.
The Michigan amendment would require citizenship verification for voters and the removal of noncitizens from the rolls, among other things. In California, the proposed amendment would mandate voter ID. It would also require election officials to verify citizenship and ensure “that only eligible individuals are registered to vote and receive ballots,” as The Federalist has previously reported.
Maisey Jefferson is a staff editor at The Federalist. She graduated from Gordon College in the greater Boston area with a degree in English and Professional Writing. You can follow her on X at @jeffermaisey.
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