Check your state’s registration rules, voter ID options, and official election resources. The SAVE America Act is a federal proposal; the requirements that apply today depend on your state.
Click any state to see its voter registration guide. Colors summarize the law status recorded in each dated guide.
Select your state to see dated voter registration guidance, how to get your birth certificate, and direct links to your election office. A red left border marks a guide that records a proof-of-citizenship law; its scope and implementation can vary.
51 states match
Check your registration and your state’s current rules first. You may already have everything you need to vote.
Before anything else, make sure your voter registration is active and your information is current. It only takes a minute.
Check your registration at Vote.gov(opens in new tab)A passport, certified birth certificate, or naturalization certificate may help establish citizenship where required; accepted documents and copies depend on your state and registration method.
Check your state's rulesA valid U.S. passport is one way to document citizenship. An adult book costs $130–$165, before photos or optional services. Routine processing takes 4–6 weeks, plus mailing time. Do not delay voting while waiting for documents you may not need.
Apply at travel.state.govIf you need a certified copy, order from the vital records office where you were born. Base fees in our state guides range from $9–$45; vendor, delivery, and expedited fees may be extra. Turnaround varies by office and order method.
Order at USA.govVoteRiders offers free help obtaining voter ID and supporting documents, including help with costs.
Get free help from VoteRidersWhatever your position on the SAVE America Act, you can tell your senators what you think. Its current status is in the Bill Status Timeline below.
Find your senatorsUnder the SAVE Act, voters would need to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering for federal elections. The proposal accepts several documents and combinations; a birth certificate alone would generally need to be paired with government-issued photo ID.
In the package the House passed in February 2026 (S. 1383), section 3 adds photo-ID rules for in-person voting and identification requirements for ballots cast other than in person, with alternative evidence and exemption provisions.
A standard driver’s license or REAL ID alone does not necessarily establish citizenship. The proposal accepts a REAL ID that indicates U.S. citizenship, certain government or tribal photo IDs showing a U.S. birthplace, and military ID paired with a service record showing a U.S. birthplace. Other government photo IDs can be paired with qualifying citizenship records. The cards below describe common records, not the complete list. See the House-passed bill text, section 2 for the full rules, including an alternative evidence process for applicants without the listed documents.
Apply at a passport acceptance facility with proof of citizenship, photo ID, passport photo, and fees. Renew online or by mail if eligible. A valid passport is accepted by the federal proposal on its own.
Official InfoOrder a certified copy from the vital records office where you were born, including the appropriate city office for New York City births. Under the federal proposal, a qualifying birth certificate is generally paired with government-issued photo ID.
Official InfoIf lost, request a replacement using Form N-565. The original is issued at naturalization. The federal proposal generally pairs this record with government-issued photo ID.
Official InfoForm N-600 requests an initial certificate for people who acquired or derived citizenship; some applicants qualify for fee exemptions. To replace a previously issued Certificate of Citizenship, use Form N-565 instead, with its separate replacement fee. The federal proposal generally pairs this record with government-issued photo ID.
Initial certificate: Form N-600Replace an existing certificate: Form N-565For U.S. citizens born outside the U.S. whose parents reported the birth to a U.S. embassy or consulate. Request replacement from the Department of State.
Official InfoAsk about a submitted requestDocument costs and timing: passport fees, passport processing, USCIS certificate fees and exemptions, online filing discount, and USCIS fee waivers. Birth-certificate fees come from the dated state guides; CRBA replacement instructions and fees are linked on its card.
Important Note for Married / Name-Changed Voters
In Pew’s 2023 survey, nearly 8 in 10 women in opposite-sex marriages said they took their spouse’s last name. The House-passed proposal provides a process for name differences using additional documentation or an affidavit identifying a previous name. Under that proposed process, an applicant could establish the connection to a previous name. A passport in your current name is one option for documenting citizenship; check your election office’s current rules before paying for new documents. Read the proposed name-difference process in section 2.
Some citizens face extra hurdles. Find guidance for your situation below.
Key numbers on citizens' access to citizenship documents — and suspected noncitizen-voting referrals reported in a dated study.
Survey and study dates appear with each figure. The active-law count comes from the dated state guides; it is not a count of universal document mandates.
11
Guides listing an active citizenship law
Oldest full state review: October 30, 2026. AZ, GA, IA, IN, MS, NH, OH, SD, TN, UT, WY. Requirements and exceptions vary. Other states may also use conditional or database checks; see each guide for its scope.~21M
Voting-age U.S. citizens without ready access to citizenship documents
Brennan Center / SSRS survey fielded fall 2023; published 20240.0001%
Approximate suspected noncitizen-voting referral share
Brennan Center interviews in 42 jurisdictions (2016 votes)31,089
Kansas registration applications suspended or canceled
Court finding: 31,089 applications affected before the 2016 injunction; enforcement was later permanently enjoined (Fish v. Schwab, 2020)How SAVE Act and related legislation have progressed through Congress. “SAVE Act” refers to a family of bills — H.R. 8281 (2024), H.R. 22 (2025), and the SAVE America Act carried in 2026 as an amendment to S. 1383. It is unrelated to the federal SAVE immigration database used by some states.
May 2024
SAVE Act (H.R. 8281) introduced by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) [source]
July 2024
H.R. 8281 passes the House 221–198 (118th Congress). [source]
Jan 2025
Reintroduced as H.R. 22 in 119th Congress [source]
Apr 2025
H.R. 22 passes the House 220–208. [source]
Jan 2026
SAVE America Act introduced as H.R. 7296 in the 119th Congress. [source]
Feb 2026
House passes the SAVE America Act 218–213 (Roll Call 69), using Senate bill S. 1383 as the legislative vehicle, and sends it back to the Senate. [source]
Feb 24, 2026
Trump urges Congress to pass the SAVE America Act during the State of the Union address. [source]
Mar 17, 2026
Senate agrees, 51–48, to proceed to the House message accompanying S. 1383. This procedural vote does not enact the SAVE America Act. [source]
Mar 26, 2026
Senate rejects cloture on Husted amendment 4732 to the S. 1383 House message, 53–47, short of the required three-fifths majority. [source]
Mar 26, 2026
South Dakota's Secretary of State publishes SB 175 guidance: the law takes effect immediately and requires citizenship evidence from first-time registrants and people removed from the voter rolls; already-registered voters do not need to resubmit citizenship proof. [source]
Apr 2026
Kentucky enacts omnibus HB 139 (citizenship database-check and voter-ID changes) after the legislature overrides Gov. Beshear's veto on Apr 14, 2026. [source]
Jun 4, 2026
Senate rejects, 48–50, a motion to waive budget rules for Graham's SAVE America Act amendment to the reconciliation bill. [source]
Aug 8, 2026
Senate rejects cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 5271, a photo-identification bill, by 52–46 (Roll Call 231). [source]
Pending
As of November 2, 2026, the SAVE America Act has not been enacted. The House-passed proposal remains subject to further congressional action; its proposed document rules are not a new nationwide registration requirement. [source]
Whatever your position on the SAVE Act, you can tell your senators what you think. The sample script and email below focus on voter-access concerns — adapt them to your own views.
D.C. residents can use the House directory to find their congressional delegate.