Florida Legislature Sends Proof‑of‑Citizenship Voting Bill Modeled on SAVE Act to DeSantis
Florida’s Republican‑controlled Legislature approved and sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis a strict elections bill modeled on President Donald Trump’s federal SAVE America Act that will require voters to verify U.S. citizenship when registering. The measure passed the state House 77–28 and the Senate 27–12, largely along party lines, and DeSantis – who has touted it as “the Florida version of the SAVE Act” – is expected to sign it. The proof‑of‑citizenship requirement would take effect in January, after the November midterms, and the bill leaves intact Florida’s excuse‑free mail‑in voting while adding a ban on using college student IDs for in‑person voting starting in 2027. Supporters say the law will further fortify Florida as a leader in what they call election integrity, while Democrats and voting‑rights advocates argue it imposes unnecessary barriers that will disproportionately burden working‑class voters, seniors, and students given that non‑citizen voting is already illegal and documented cases are rare. The move positions Florida as an early state‑level testing ground for the Trump‑backed proof‑of‑citizenship agenda even as the federal SAVE Act remains stalled in the U.S. Senate despite Republican control.
📌 Key Facts
- Florida House approved the bill 77–28 and the Senate passed it 27–12, mostly along party lines.
- The bill mandates verification of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote, with that requirement effective January after the November midterm elections.
- The law bars use of college student IDs for in‑person voting starting in 2027 but preserves Florida’s excuse‑free mail‑in voting system.
📊 Relevant Data
Noncitizen voting in U.S. elections is exceedingly rare, with reviews finding only minuscule numbers of instances in recent elections.
Noncitizen voting remains exceedingly rare, new review finds — NPR
More than 9% of American citizens of voting age, or 21.3 million people, do not have proof of citizenship readily available.
Millions of Americans Don't Have Documents Proving Their Citizenship Readily Available — Brennan Center for Justice
About 3% of voters of color do not have access to proof-of-citizenship documents, compared with 1% of white Americans.
Millions of US voters lack access to documents to prove citizenship — The Guardian
There are approximately 14 million unauthorized immigrants living in the United States as of 2023, representing about 4% of the total U.S. population.
Record 14 Million Unauthorized Immigrants Lived in the US in 2023 — Pew Research Center
Florida has an estimated 1.1 million unauthorized immigrants, representing about 5% of the state's population.
Profile of the Unauthorized Population - FL — Migration Policy Institute
The number of immigrants in the U.S. has risen to 53.3 million as of January 2025, or about 15.8% of the population, up from under 10 million in 1965, largely due to the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act which shifted immigration sources and increased overall numbers.
How Tighter Curbs on Immigration Impact the U.S. Economy — EconoFact
Strict voter ID laws disproportionately affect young voters, including college students, with about 23% of voters aged 18-29 lacking a driver's license compared to lower rates in older groups.
Who Lacks ID in America Today? An Exploration of Voter ID Access in the 2023 CDCE Voter ID Survey — Center for Democracy & Civic Engagement, University of Maryland
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