Pass the SAVE America Act

Increasing threats to our Constitutional voting system require action

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act would require proof of citizenship to register to vote, photo ID at the polls, and would move us back toward Election Day — not election season. The bill passed the House twice with bipartisan support and has the backing of an overwhelming majority of Americans. Passing this bill codifies President Trump's Executive Order 14399, signed on March 31, 2026.

Today, the Senate has the votes to pass it, but a procedural obstacle is being used by America Last policymakers and a 60-vote threshold to block the restoration and protection of our elections.

That needs to change — now.

Given the extraordinary circumstances at present, AFPI calls on the Senate to pass the SAVE America Act as part of a reconciliation package. Opponents of this legislation made a calculated decision: Keeping American elections insecure is worth more to them than honest governance. The ongoing threat of a 60-vote threshold is blocking a law that most Americans — even those on the Left — say they support.

BROAD SUPPORT FOR THE SAVE AMERICA ACT

According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in August 2025, 83% of Americans favor requiring government-issued photo ID to vote — including 71% of respondents on the Left and 76% of Black voters. An Economist/YouGov poll conducted March 13–16, 2026 found that 85% of Americans agree only U.S. citizens should be permitted to vote, a truly bipartisan policy position that includes large majorities across the ideological spectrum and 84% of independents. Fifty-nine percent support requiring proof of citizenship to register.

This is a clear issue that 80% of Americans agree on, and every member of the Senate knows it.

PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN ELECTIONS DECLINING

Voters sense that something is fundamentally broken with our elections. According to a UC San Diego survey of more than 11,000 eligible voters, trust in the fairness of American elections has fallen 17 percentage points since October 2024. Today, less than two-thirds of voters surveyed say they’re confident their vote will be counted accurately in the 2026 midterms. The SAVE America Act is the most direct available means to repair voter trust.

“The American people have been crystal clear," said Greg Sindelar, Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of the America First Policy Institute. "Eighty-five percent believe only citizens should vote. Eighty-three percent want photo ID at the polls. These are not partisan positions — they are American positions. Opponents are not blocking the SAVE America Act because it is bad policy. They’re blocking it because good policy will cost them elections they can’t win on the merits.”

RECENT PRECEDENT FOR BYPASSING SENATE 60 VOTE THRESHOLD

Ken Blackwell, Chairman of AFPI's Center for Election Integrity, said the historical case for acting is equally unambiguous. “These tools were invented in 2010 to abrogate the process and use parliamentary tricks to force through passage of Obamacare, a wildly unpopular and destructive health care overhaul in the Nation's history. In 2013, then-Majority Leader Harry Reid invoked a simple majority threshold for presidential nominees aside from the Supreme Court.”

“Conservative policymakers did not create these work arounds. They inherited them, and when the stakes demanded it, they used them. In 2017, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell extended that precedent to Supreme Court nominations — the maneuver that confirmed Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. In 2019, McConnell again reduced post-cloture debate time for lower-level nominees from 30 hours to two. There is no novel principle at stake here — only a choice: Apply these tools to legislation the American people have already endorsed or explain to voters why you didn't.”

AFPI Executive Director Martin Gillespie agreed: “The Left has never lacked the will to advance their America Last agenda in key moments. It’s time for our leaders to muster the same courage and respond to President Trump’s call for this righteous and extremely popular legislation. Use of a reconciliation legislative vehicle to pass these provisions is the clearest path to urgently securing our elections.”

EMERGING THREATS TO OUR CONSTITUTIONAL SYSTEM IN 2028 AND BEYOND

To understand the urgency, look no further than what happened on April 13. Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed legislation making her state the 18th to join the National Popular Vote Compact — an interstate scheme that, if enough states follow, would effectively hand control of every American presidential election to a collective of large, left-leaning cities. The compact now has 222 electoral votes. It needs 270 to take effect. With Virginia, that has closed 82% of the gap.

If they reach the threshold by flipping select state legislatures in 2026, a president could be elected without winning a single competitive state in 2028. The Electoral College would be rendered decorative and useless, with New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago actually deciding presidential elections.

The National Popular Vote Compact and the obstruction of the SAVE America Act are two facets of the same story: an ongoing and coordinated effort to reshape the rules of American democracy, by a movement that cannot win on the issues. That’s why AFPI is calling directly on Senate Majority Leader John Thune and leadership to meet this urgent moment and pass the SAVE America Act as part of a reconciliation bill.

Illegal immigration has been brought to heel, American cities are safer, and the economy is growing. America First policies are making great progress, and we simply can’t go backwards. Opponents of this commonsense legislation can’t run on their record in November — that’s why this fight is so existential for them, and why it must be met with strength and resolve by the Senate majority.

America First Senators: The precedent is established. The polling is clear. The American people are waiting. Use the power you have to safeguard the future of our Nation now.