House Advances Bill Requiring Proof of Citizenship When Registering to Vote, Maine Delegation Splits

The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday to advance a bill requiring proof of citizenship when registering to vote.

Five Democrats — including Rep. Jared Golden (D) — voted in support of the measure alongside all 216 Republican members of the House that participated in the vote.

Rep. Chellie Pingree (D) was among the 198 other Democrat representatives to vote against the proposed legislation.

Click Here to See the Full Breakdown of Lawmakers’ Votes

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act — referred to as the SAVE Act — was put forward earlier this year by a large group of Republican lawmakers with the purpose of protecting the integrity of U.S. elections in light of the surge in illegal immigration.

Under the proposed law, those seeking voter registration would need to provide “documentary proof of United States citizenship,” such as a REAL ID compliant form of identification, passport, military ID, or a government-issued photo ID “showing that the applicant’s place of birth was in the United States.”

Other government-issued photo IDs may be used if presented in conjunction with another qualifying document, such as a birth certificate or naturalization certificate.

Click Here for More Information on the SAVE Act

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) — one of the forty-nine House lawmakers in the cohort that introduced this bill — advocated for the SAVE Act as a means by which to “end the practice of non-citizens voting in our elections.”

“Secure elections are a key cornerstone for any representative government; without them, we won’t have a country,” Rep. Roy said. “Radical progressive Democrats know this and are using open border policies while also attacking election integrity laws to fundamentally remake America.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has also spoken in support of this bill. “As we approach the 2024 elections,” he said, “the American people must have absolute certainty in the integrity of our election system.”

“This bill would fortify federal elections by ensuring that only American citizens vote in American elections,” Speaker Johnson continued. “I am grateful to Congressman Roy for his important leadership on this critical issue and for introducing this legislation in the House.”

[RELATED: Bill Requiring Proof of Citizenship to Become Registered Voter Introduced by Lawmakers]

Earlier this month, the White House issued a statement strongly opposing the bill, arguing that it would “do nothing to safeguard our elections,” serving only to make it more difficult for eligible voters to cast their ballots.

“States already have effective safeguards in place to verify voters’ eligibility and maintain the accuracy of voter rolls. This bill would do nothing to safeguard our elections, but it would make it much harder for all eligible Americans to register to vote and increase the risk that eligible voters are purged from voter rolls,” the White House said. “It is extraordinarily rare for noncitizens to break the law by voting in Federal elections.”

Democrat House leadership also reportedly put out a “whip question” in which Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA) told Democrats to vote against the legislation.

[RELATED: White House Condemns Proposed Bill Requiring Proof of Citizenship to Register to Vote]

Johnson issued a statement Wednesday on X in response to the passage of the SAVE Act in the House.

“Today, 198 House Democrats voted against preventing illegal aliens from voting in American elections,” Johnson said. “Over the past four years, Joe Biden has welcomed millions upon millions of illegals into the country knowing that noncitizens only have to check a box to vote in a federal election.”

‘We have long known this was an intentional effort to turn them into voters, and now the American people know where every member of Congress stands on this critically important issue,” he said. “House Republicans believe that only Americans should vote in American elections.”

“House Democrats have now proven they believe that illegal aliens should vote in American elections,” Johnson concluded.

My statement on the passage of the SAVE Act: pic.twitter.com/Id1v9zEDqz

— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) July 10, 2024

Although the SAVE Act has now successfully been advanced in the House, it is unlikely that the legislation will be able to gain traction in the Democrat-controlled Senate, and given the Biden Administration’s express opposition to the measure, the bill would likely be vetoed if it were to reach the president’s desk.