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Unidentified witness urges House Administration Committee to pass Save America Act, citing photo‑ID and documentary citizenship requirements
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Summary
An unidentified witness told the House Administration Committee the Save America Act (S 13 83) would require photo identification at the polls and documentary proof of U.S. citizenship at registration; the witness also described a manager's amendment exempting certain uniformed voters and making the bill effective on enactment.
An unidentified witness testified before the House Administration Committee in support of S 13 83, the Save America Act, saying the bill would require photo identification to cast a ballot and documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when someone first registers to vote in a federal election.
The witness said the bill is a rules committee print and an enhanced version of a prior Save Act that passed the House last April but was not taken up by the Senate. The witness credited collaboration from Representative Chip Roy and Senator Mike Lee and noted a manager's amendment that, the witness said, exempts deployed service members and their spouses voting under UOCAVA and makes the Save America Act effective upon enactment.
On citizenship verification, the witness argued current federal registration practice is inadequate, describing it as "simply checking a box," and asserted that "under President Biden, over 10,000,000 illegal aliens poured into the country." The witness presented the documentary-proof requirement as a remedy: "Under the Save America Act, states will need to obtain documentary proof of US citizenship when registering new individuals to vote in federal elections." These statements were made as testimony to the committee and were not independently verified during the hearing.
On voter identification, the witness said "it requires photo identification to vote" and noted that, in the witness's account, 36 states already require some form of identification at the polls. The witness argued a national photo‑ID standard is "common sense" and popular, and rebutted anticipated claims that the measure amounts to voter suppression.
Citing experience from Georgia, the witness said opponents labeled the state's 2021 election law as "Jim Crow 2," but called those allegations false, arguing turnout remained high in subsequent statewide elections. The witness also cited a University of Georgia survey finding that "95% of voters reported an excellent or good voting experience" in the 2022 midterm elections.
The witness emphasized safeguards in the bill intended to protect eligible voters, saying that if a voter forgets an ID on election day "they can still cast a provisional ballot," and that the bill contains sections addressing name discrepancies and changes so that eligible voters are not disqualified.
The witness closed by calling the legislation "common sense" and thanking the committee, then said they looked forward to questions.
