The Republican party is intensifying its efforts to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act before the Senate's summer recess, citing a software error in New Jersey that incorrectly registered thousands of non-citizens to vote.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill reported that approximately 6,600 individuals who indicated they were not U.S. citizens were mistakenly registered to vote between June 2023 and June 2024 due to a system malfunction. The error occurred when applicants for driver's licenses or identification cards were asked about voter registration; the system proceeded to register them even after they identified as non-citizens. Sherrill stated that fewer than 400 of these erroneously registered individuals actually voted, and their votes were not concentrated in any single election or tied to a political party. The state has found no evidence to suggest that these errors swayed any election outcomes.
President Donald Trump has seized on the New Jersey case, promoting the SAVE Act on his social media platform and alleging, without providing evidence, that the number of non-citizens registered to vote in the state is significantly higher. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed this sentiment, urging the Senate to pass the bill before the August recess and suggesting that similar issues might exist in other states. While Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin alleged New Jersey could have had as many as 35,152 non-citizens registered to vote, the methodology for reaching this number has not been explained.
The SAVE America Act, as Republicans refer to it, would mandate that states require in-person documentary proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration and a photo ID at the time of voting. While non-citizens are already prohibited from voting in federal and state elections, some local jurisdictions permit non-citizen voting in certain municipal elections. The bill also requires states to remove non-citizens from existing voter rolls.
Voting rights advocates and many congressional Democrats have opposed the SAVE Act, labeling it a "voter suppression bill." They argue it could disenfranchise eligible citizens who may not possess the required documentation, raising particular concern for married women whose current surnames may differ from those on their birth certificates.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has stated the bill is unlikely to pass, noting that courts and Congress have previously rejected similar legislation. The Department of Justice has launched an investigation into the New Jersey voter registration incident and has requested detailed personal information on the identified non-citizens from the state. A spokesperson for Governor Sherrill characterized this request as the White House "weaponizing the Justice Department" for political purposes, referencing a history of such actions by the Trump administration and vowing to use legal means to protect New Jerseyans' personal information.