House passes bill requiring voters prove citizenship in federal elections

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Ohio purging 'noncitizens' from state voter rolls: 'American elections are for American citizens'

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose discusses the Buckeye State's effort to remove noncitizens from its voter rolls.

The House of Representatives approved a bill on Wednesday, aimed at ensuring only American citizens vote in federal elections.

After debating the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act on the House floor, which was pushed by House speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, was passed by a final vote of 221-198.

Five Democrats voted in favor of the measure, including Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas; Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas; Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine; Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C.; and Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash.

The bill now heads to the Senate, where it will face strong opposition from Democrats. President Biden has also said he will veto the measure. 

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The House of Representatives voted 221-198 to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, to ensure only American citizens vote in federal elections. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The bill was introduced by Roy in May and former President Trump pushed the legislation in a high-profile press conference at Mar-a-Lago earlier this year.

Leading up to the July Fourth week-long recess, Johnson was circulating a memo within the House GOP conference, arguing why the bill is necessary.

He continued making his case on the social media platform X.

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Speaker Mike Johnson made his case to approve the SAVE Act during the weeks leading up to Wednesday's House vote, which passed 221-198. (Getty Images)

"The SAVE Act will safeguard our elections by ensuring only American citizens vote in federal elections," the House speaker said before continuing with a series of posts that explained what the legislation does.

According to Johnson, the bill requires state election officials to ask about citizenship before providing applicants with voter registration forms. It also requires an individual to provide proof of citizenship before registering to vote in federal elections, allows state officials to accept a variety of documents to make it easy for citizens to register to vote and provides states with access to a federal agency database in which they can remove noncitizens from voter rolls and confirm citizenship for those who lack proof.

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Members of the House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to approve the SAVE Act, 221-198. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Johnson also said the measure directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to determine whether to begin removal proceedings of noncitizens who have been identified as having registered to vote in federal elections and requires DHS to notify state chief election officials when an individual has been naturalized, allowing them to exercise their new right to vote.

After the vote, the Tea Party Patriots Action issued a statement in celebration of the SAVE Act’s passage.

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"Tea Party Patriots Action strongly supports the SAVE Act because it would bolster the integrity of our country's federal elections by closing the loopholes that allow noncitizens to register and vote," the group said. "This legislation would represent a step forward in upholding the sanctity of our democratic process and ensuring that every vote cast in our federal elections is done so only by American citizens."

Opponents of the bill claim it's redundant and unnecessary because, under current U.S. law, only citizens can vote in federal elections. However, the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 prevents states from confirming citizenship status. Critics also argue the bill would lead to U.S. citizens being denied their right to vote, more so than stopping noncitizens from voting.

Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Elkind and Fox News' Kelly Phares contributed to this report.