Fact Check: Would SAVE America Act require people to reregister to vote?

WASHINGTON, DC: The SAVE America Act is a bill introduced in the 119th Congress, aimed at strengthening election integrity by requiring documentary proof of US citizenship for voter registration in federal elections and imposing photo identification requirements for voting.

On a March 17 X post, Senator Mark Kelly claimed that the SAVE America Act requires everyone to re-register to vote in person. But is there any truth to his claim? Let us find out below.

Claim: SAVE America Act requires people to reregister to vote

Mark Kelly took to X and wrote, "The SAVE America Act doesn’t ‘Save’ America. And this isn’t about voter ID. This bill requires everyone to re-register to vote in person, and your driver’s license, REAL ID, or military ID, aren’t even good enough."

"Imagine all of our seniors who don’t have valid passports and haven’t seen their birth certificates in decades? What about them? How hard will it be for them to register?", he added.

Concluding the post, he wrote, "And how do they get a passport if they can’t find their birth certificates? And what about the cost? If this becomes law, it will disenfranchise many Americans."

Notably, the bill primarily amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA). As per the bill, states cannot accept or process voter registration applications for federal elections unless the applicant provides acceptable documentary proof of US citizenship. This also applies to new registrants and those updating registrations. 

Meanwhile, for mail registrations, proof often must be presented in person to election officials, which effectively limits remote options. States must also create an alternative process for those lacking standard documents.

Fact Check: Partly true, people need government documentation

The claim made by Mark Kelly is partly true. The SAVE America Act would not require everyone to reregister to vote. However, those who move, even locally, or change their party registration or name, would likely need to update their registrations.

Moreover, the bill requires people registering to vote to present documentary proof of citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate. 

Eliza Sweren-Becker, deputy director for the voting rights and election program at the liberal Brennan Center for Justice, earlier told PolitiFact that the proof of citizenship requirements would apply not only to new registrants, but also to many people who wouldn’t consider themselves new registrants. 

The legislation mentions that people require government documentation showing US citizenship to register, such as a passport or birth certificate. 

Moreover, it allows a US military identification card, but only if it is accompanied by a US military record of service document showing that the applicant was born in the US.

However, based on the legislation, Kelly exaggerated the need for everyone to reregister, as the legislation does not say that all registered voters need to reregister.

Interestingly, every election cycle, millions of Americans newly register or update their registrations when they move, making them subject to the requirements of the proposed legislation.