Florida bill modeled after Trump’s federal SAVE Act would join Arizona, Kansas and Louisiana with similar requirements in compelling voters to show proof of citizenship.
By Catholics for Catholics
Everything is on the line.
Republicans are placing their hopes on the upcoming midterm elections, as Florida lawmakers are sending Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis a stringent elections bill patterned after the federal SAVE America Act strongly championed by President Donald Trump. The proposal requires voters to authenticate their citizenship when registering, according to a story by Fox News.
On Thursday, the lawmakers in Tallahassee, Florida approved the measure in a 77–28 vote in the State House dominated by Republicans. This happened just hours after the bill passed the Republican-controlled state Senate 27–12.
The votes in both houses of the Florida legislature were nearly entirely along party lines.
DeSantis, is expected to sign the measure as soon as it reaches his desk. He is a supporter of what he calls “the Florida version of the SAVE Act.”
“Although Florida has already enacted much of what the federal legislation contemplates, this will further fortify our state as the leader in election integrity,” DeSantis said in a social media post.
The SAVE Act, which stands for Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, is the federal bill that barely passed the GOP-controlled House in February. But it’s stalled in the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53–47 majority in the chamber, far short of the 60-vote threshold needed to pass the bill.
Trump is determined on retaining the Republican congressional majorities in the 2026 midterm elections. He recently said that the federal bill should be the top priority in Congress and that if passed, it “will guarantee the midterms” for Republicans.
But the Florida bill’s proof of citizenship requirement wouldn’t take effect until January, after the November 2024 midterm elections. And the bill also doesn’t limit the Sunshine State’s allowance for excuse-free mail-in-voting.
