The NewsWorthy Special Edition: The Voting Bill Dividing Congress
Mar 21, 2026
Wren Orey, director of the Bipartisan Policy Center's Elections Project, explains how the SAVE America Act would change voter registration and administration. She covers documentary proof of citizenship, photo ID rules, and the potential for millions to be affected. She also discusses costs, rural and name-change complications, and how new penalties and unfunded mandates could strain local election officials.
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Non-Citizen Voting Is Statistically Rare
- Non-citizen registration and voting are extremely rare, typically under 0.04%, often due to error or misunderstanding.
- Orey cites state audits like Utah's review of 2 million voters finding one confirmed non-citizen registration and zero non-citizen votes.
Millions Could Lose Easy Access To Registration
- About 12% of registered voters lack either an unexpired passport or a birth certificate plus photo ID, equal to roughly 28.4 million voting-age citizens.
- Orey's analysis projects millions could be unable to register under the bill's documentation rules.
Kansas Example Of Eligible Voters Blocked
- Kansas's documentary proof law left non-citizen registration extremely low but blocked roughly 31,000 eligible citizens from registering.
- That represented about 12 percent of applicants prevented after implementation.