Скачать или смотреть House passes SAVE Act, sends bill mandating photo ID & proof of citizenship to Senate

The House on Wednesday evening passed the SAVE America Act, a sweeping election bill that President Donald Trump has been pushing Congress to act upon.

The vote was 218-213; all Republicans unanimously voted in favor of the bill and all but one Democrat voted against it.

The SAVE America Act would trigger major changes to how Americans vote. This includes requiring voters to present proof of citizenship to register, eliminating mail-only registrations, and requiring photo ID in every state for the first time. It would also require states to take new steps to remove noncitizens from existing voter rolls.

“It’s just common sense. Americans need an ID to drive, to open a bank account, to buy cold medicine, to file government assistance,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters. “So why would voting be any different than that?”

Democrats said the legislation will disenfranchise Americans, noting that voting by noncitizens is already illegal. Current law requires voters to attest to their citizenship under oath, with criminal penalties for violators.

“This is a desperate effort by Republicans to distract,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told reporters. “The so-called SAVE Act is not about voter identification, it is about voter suppression. And they have zero credibility on this issue.”