Election Law and Voting Policy

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.