The SAVE Act, recently backed by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), remains wildly popular with Maine voters. Democrats Janet Mills and Graham Platner oppose the ban on noncitizen voting.
A new statewide poll of Maine voters shows broad support for requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections — and strong backing for the SAVE America Act, a proposal now before Congress.
The debate over illegal alien and non-citizen voting looms large over Maine’s upcoming 2026 elections, especially considering Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D) has famously admitted that non-citizens are registered to vote in Maine.
The SAVE Act could also play in the all-important Maine Senate race.
Incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins has broadcast her support for protecting America’s elections from noncitizen voters.
Maine Democrats have largely opposed new election integrity measures.
The poll suggests the issue could carry political consequences for Maine’s high-profile U.S. Senate election.
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Democratic Gov. Janet Mills and upstart progressive radical Graham Platner have both staked their flags squarely in favor of non-citizen voting.
Mills has called the SAVE Act a “dangerous Trump-backed voter suppression bill” that would disenfranchise voters, though she’s offered no evidence to support the claim.
Platner has called the SAVE Act a “terrible” bill and said Republicans “only chance to stay in office” is to implement ID and citizenship checks for elections.
The survey is good news for Collins, showing that Maine voters back enforceable prohibitions on the kind of non-citizen voting even Bellows admits is happening.
According to the survey of 604 likely Maine voters conducted Feb. 13–16, 63% said they support the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register and a valid ID to cast a ballot in federal elections, while 26% oppose it.
The poll, commissioned and paid for by conservative Heritage Action and directed by Stefani Buhajla in partnership with Cor Strategies, LLC, has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.99 percentage points.
When asked directly whether they support requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections, 65% of all voters said they support the requirement, compared with 20% who oppose it .
Support is strongest among Republicans at 88%, but a majority of independents — 62% — also back the requirement. Among Democrats, 48% — almost a majority — support it, while 34% oppose it.
The poll also found that 73% of Maine voters say noncitizens should not be allowed to vote in U.S. elections, compared with 17% who say they should be allowed.
In another question, 69% of respondents said they support requiring states to remove noncitizens from voter registration rolls, while 16% oppose the idea.
And 67% favor imposing civil penalties on election officials who knowingly register noncitizens to vote, compared with 15% who oppose such penalties.
Support for the SAVE America Act appears to increase when national security is invoked.
When voters were told the legislation could improve national security by preventing foreign adversaries such as China from interfering in U.S. elections, 49% said they would be “much more likely” to support it and 20% said “somewhat more likely” — a combined 69% saying they would be more inclined to back the measure.
Just 16% said they would be less likely to support it under that framing.
The survey also tested broader statements about election integrity.
See Full Poll Here: Heritage Action 2026 Maine SAVE America Act Poll
Eighty percent of voters either strongly or somewhat agree that “every legal voter should have confidence that their vote is counted equally and not diluted by ineligible ballots,” including 61% who strongly agree.
Similarly, 78% either strongly or somewhat agree that every state should be held to the same standard when it comes to who is eligible to vote in federal elections.
Seventy-one percent agree that clear verification requirements discourage fraud before it happens.
The big picture take away is a super majority of Maine voters support Collins position and oppose Democrats when it comes to the SAVE Act.
Asked whether they would be more likely to support re-election of their senators if they voted in favor of the SAVE America Act, 36% said “much more likely” and 19% said “somewhat more likely,” for a combined 55% saying a vote for the bill would make them more inclined to back their senators.
Twenty-nine percent said they would be less likely to support re-election under those circumstances.
The survey sample included 31% Republicans, 33% independents and 36% Democrats. Forty percent of respondents were 65 or older, and the gender split was evenly divided between men and women.
The question over citizenship requirements for elections comes as Secretary Bellows, after admitting on camera that non-citizens are registered to vote, has refused to cooperate with a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into Maine’s voter rolls.
