SAVE Act

What this does

Amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 so that a state may not accept and process a federal voter registration application unless the applicant presents documentary proof of United States citizenship. The bill defines the accepted documents: a REAL ID-compliant identification indicating citizenship, a valid United States passport, a military ID paired with a service record showing a United States birthplace, or a federal, state, or Tribal photo ID showing a United States birthplace, and it lets other government photo IDs count only when combined with a certified birth certificate, hospital birth record, adoption decree, Consular Report of Birth Abroad, naturalization certificate, or similar proof. It extends the requirement to motor-vehicle and mail registration, directs states to verify citizenship at driver's-license registration, and requires states to establish a fallback process for applicants who cannot produce documents, allowing other evidence plus an attestation signed under penalty of perjury and an official's affidavit. States must take ongoing steps to keep noncitizens off the rolls and must remove a registrant upon documentation or verified information that the person is not a citizen. Federal agencies must respond to state verification requests within 24 hours and may not charge a fee, and the Secretary of Homeland Security must investigate whether to begin removal proceedings against a noncitizen found unlawfully registered. The bill adds criminal penalties, a private right of action, and a duty for Homeland Security to notify state officials when a person naturalizes.