The SAVE Act and what ‘democracy’ looks like
American citizens’ belief in their fundamental right to vote in a free and fair election is central to our democratic republic, and yet there is no universal requirement for states to obtain proof of citizenship when registering someone to vote.
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act strengthens the integrity of our elections by closing this loophole via amending the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) to require states to obtain proof of U.S. citizenship when registering individuals to vote.
This legislation is simple, widely supported by the American people, and received bipartisan support when the House first voted on the original bill in the 118th Congress.
Unfortunately, the Left has been in full panic mode since then, making numerous false claims (either through pure subterfuge or misreading the legislation itself) regarding what the bill would and wouldn’t do.
Exhibit A is a March 13 “newsletter” by Pennsylvania’s 6th House District Representative Chrissy Houlahan, where she justifies her opposition to the SAVE Act by propagating disinformation apparently created and shared to mislead her constituents for unknown reasons.
This article will therefore attempt to set the record straight by dispelling Houlahan’s “myths” she cites as reasons for voting against the SAVE Act.
Myth #1: The SAVE Act requires ALL Americans to show specific “proof of citizenship documents…both to register to vote and then to actually vote in an election.”
This claim is patently false: only new applicants registering to vote the first time (or when updating in ways that trigger re-verification) would be required to show proof of citizenship (e.g. a birth certificate, a US passport, a naturalization certificate, or a combination of identity documents that together establish citizenship, will suffice).
Citizens already registered to vote aren’t required to re-register, therefore no citizens will be stripped of their existing registration.
Having stated the lie, Rep. Houlahan further embellished it by claiming that individuals would be required to show documentation proving their citizenship status before casting a ballot.
Again, FALSE! To vote, registered Americans only need to show an acceptable photo ID (such as a state driver’s license/REAL ID, passport, military ID, or tribal ID with photo and expiration date), which applies to both in-person and mail-in voters.
The photo ID requirement ensures that a ballot is being cast by the person to whom it belongs, a common-sense protection that is widely supported by the American people; according to a Pew Research poll from August 2025, 83 percent of adults favor requiring all voters to show government-issued photo identification.
Myth #2: “If you vote by mail, you would need to include a photocopy of these documents. Every time you vote.”
This claim also doesn’t pass the smell test, as it conflates the SAVE Act’s proof of U.S. citizenship requirement (called “documentary proof of United States citizenship”) with the ‘valid photo identification’ requirement.
The photocopy requirement for mail ballots, for example, applies only to a standard photo ID for identity verification, not re-proving citizenship. Critics and supporters alike describe the mail-ballot rule as an ID copy requirement, not a repeated citizenship document submission.
No provision in the bill’s text requires photocopying citizenship documents for every mail vote.
Myth #3: “The SAVE America Act only allows driver’s licenses/REAL IDs that show citizenship status (to register to vote or to vote)…your driver’s license/REAL ID won’t be enough to vote or register to vote.”
This statement is essentially a reiteration/embellishment of Myth #1 above, which can be further broken down into two parts; the first is a straight-up lie, while the second is a misreading of the law itself.
Regarding the first part, driver’s licenses/REAL IDs (with citizenship status indicated) are NOT required to VOTE in person, just a standard accepted photo ID as stated above. This photo ID requirement applies to voting in person or mail-in ballot voting.
Regarding the second part, Houlahan (or one of her Congressional staffers) has misread the bill’s text to mean that it only allows individuals with driver’s licenses/REAL IDs showing citizenship status as being able to register to vote.
The SAVE Act, however, clearly states that “A form of identification issued consistent with the requirements of the REAL ID Act of 2005 that indicates the applicant is a citizen of the United States” is acceptable when registering to vote.
Accordingly, the following forms of identification are consistent with the REAL ID Act of 2005 that indicate the applicant is a citizen of the United States:
- a valid U.S. Passport,
- a certified birth certificate (with seal),
- a Certificate of Naturalization (Form N-550/N-570),
- a Certificate of Citizenship (Form N-560/N-561),
- a U.S. Consular Report of Birth Abroad,
- a U.S. Citizen ID Card (Form I-197),
- or a valid military ID.
The first five documents above are also consistent with PENNDOT’s “Real ID Document Checklist” fact sheet, which clearly indicates they can be used to prove citizenship.
In other words, if you have a REAL ID in PA, chances are excellent you already have at least one document that also establishes citizenship under the SAVE Act.
Myth #4: “Fortunately, state audits and extensive studies show that voter fraud is incredibly rare.”
Critics would point to the Heritage Foundation’s Election Fraud Map database in rebuttal, which has documented 1,620 cases of national election malfeasance from 1982 – 2025.
Here in the Philadelphia region, a September 20, 2017 report by Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt, entitled “Voting in Philadelphia by Non-U.S. Citizens,” found that at least 220 noncitizens illegally registered to vote in the city between 2006-2017.
Of the 220 registrants, 90 people voted in at least one election between 2006 and 2017, according to Schmidt’s report. They cast a total of 227 votes during that span, with 47 votes during the 2008 general election
Since Schmidt and Philly officials only became aware of these registrations when the noncitizens took their names off the voter rolls, however, it’s unclear how many more immigrants illegally registered to vote in Philadelphia but went undetected!
Pennsylvania has also had other issues in recent years with its voter registration processes at DMV locations. In 2019, former Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration admitted that more than 11,000 non-citizens — who live in the state legally but are not eligible to vote – were able to register to vote.
Currently, auditor General Tim DeFoor has announced an audit of Pennsylvania’s motor voter system, but results won’t be ready by this year’s election.
Myth #5: “Many women would have to go through (a) complicated processes and provide extra legal documentation just to cast their ballots.”
Rep. Houlahan also falsely claims that “80 percent of women who change their last name when they get married” will have a problem voting under the SAVE Act if their current ID doesn’t match the name on their birth certificate.
Neither claim is tethered to reality, however, as under the SAVE Act supporting records, including marriage certificates, divorce decrees, and court orders, are explicitly usable alongside primary citizenship documents when names differ across records. No coherent reading of the bill produces the outcome Rep. Houlahan describes.
Also, there is a provision in the SAVE Act for each state to establish a process under which an applicant can provide relevant documentation proving their U.S. citizenship in cases where certain documentation discrepancies should arise. This means if there is a change of name, each state must accept the application.
Rep. Houlahan ends her newsletter by proudly boasting that she supports voter ID requirements at the polls (“I have always supported voter ID requirements at the polls”), yet fails to articulate what exactly those requirements are.
She further claims the SAVE Act is “not what democracy looks like,” even though the vast majority of Americans support voter ID laws, including most Democrats. The SAVE Act also enjoys broad support across several key battleground states.
So the premise of the Democratic opposition that millions of American women, minority voters, or elderly residents will be disenfranchised is therefore false on its face.
That’s what “democracy looks like,” Congresswoman!
Congress should ensure Americans’ collective voices at the ballot box are not compromised by noncitizens inadvertently (or deliberately) also partaking in the solemn right of voting and pass the SAVE Act while they still can.
Richard F. Kosich is a freelance writer/community organizer in Conshohocken, chair of the Conshohocken Borough Republican Committee (CBRC), and Vice Chair of the Colonial Republicans. Opinions are his own.
