Florida lawmakers on Thursday passed election integrity legislation modeled after President Donald Trump’s prized bill, the SAVE America Act.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is expected to sign what has been described as the Florida version of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act. The SAVE Act, championed by Trump and now stalled in the Senate, strengthens voter ID and proof of citizenship requirements for residents to cast ballots.
The Florida measure requires certain residents to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote. Valid proofs of citizenship include a birth certificate, passport, driver’s license, federal or state ID, or a court order granting citizenship.
If it is signed into law, the bill would prevent college students from using their student IDs to vote in person. It would also prevent the use of retirement center identification, neighborhood association identification, or public assistance identification as IDs when voting. None of the bill’s provisions would take effect until 2027, meaning they will not apply to the crucial 2026 midterm elections.
The bill does not require everyone to physically show proof of citizenship when registering to vote. New applicants must swear or affirm their U.S. citizenship under penalty of perjury. The applicant’s citizenship status must then be verified through the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles records. Applicants must provide the proof if the automatic verification process fails, according to Republican state Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, the bill’s sponsor.
Persons-Mulicka has said, “A vote for this bill is a vote for our Constitution.”
“While the important debate over the SAVE America Act happens on the national stage, we can and must continue to lead in Florida as the gold standard in election integrity,” she previously said.
The state House passed the bill along party lines, 77-28, just after the Senate sent it through, 27-12.
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Florida Democrats largely criticized the legislation as a “voter suppression bill.”
“This bill creates real barriers for everyday Floridians, especially those with the fewest resources,” state Sen. LaVon Bracy Davis posted on Facebook. “It will disproportionately impact working families, seniors, and college students who want to exercise their voice and right to vote.”
