Attendees listen to Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) speak at a “Citizens Only Vote” bus tour rally on passing the SAVE Act in Upper Senate Park outside the U.S. Capitol on September 10, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Kent Nishimura | Getty Images News | getty images
As Senate Republicans prepare to vote on the Save America Act this week, Democrats are opposing voter-ID legislation strongly supported by President Donald Trump.
While House Republicans passed a version of the bill in February, mostly along party lines, they still need 60 votes in the Senate to bypass the filibuster. With only a 53-47 majority, Senate Republicans cannot advance legislation without upper-house Democratic support unless lawmakers change the filibuster rule.
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. said Thursday that he would bring the legislation to the House for a vote this week to “put Democrats on the record.”
With multiple versions of the legislation circulating, it is unclear which version Thune might bring to the Senate for a vote next week.
“We don’t know yet what Thune is doing … but we are prepared for every possible scenario,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York told reporters during a press call Sunday afternoon.
He said, “My caucus feels really strongly that this would be a catastrophic event … one of the worst things to happen in the history of this country in terms of allowing people to vote.”
Protest against the Save America Act
Recent bill passed by the house Americans will need to show proof of citizenship, such as a certified birth certificate or passport, to register to vote in federal elections. The bill would also mandate photo identification rules for voting in person or by mail.
If enacted, the law could lead to “massive voter suppression” by those unable to comply, according to Marc Elias, founder of the voter rights organization Democracy Docket, who also spoke to reporters during Sunday’s call.
Most people do not have a passport, and frankly, most people do not have access to an original or certified copy of a birth certificate.
mark elias
Founder of Democracy Docket
“Most people don’t have a passport, and frankly, most people don’t have access to an original or certified copy of a birth certificate,” he said.
Some? 21 million Americans They do not have readily available documents to prove their citizenship, and 2.6 million Americans According to the Brennan Center for Justice and the University of Maryland’s Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement, there is a shortage of government-issued photo IDs.
During fiscal year 2025, the US State Department issued roughly 27.3 million passportsAccording to the latest data, that included about 4.5 million passport cards.
The bill passed in February would require each state to regularly send a list of eligible voters to the Department of Homeland Security to identify noncitizens and remove them from voter rolls.
“It’s absolutely appalling what they’re trying to do here, and it’s really inspired my caucus to do everything we can to stop it,” Schumer said during the call Sunday. “This is a despicable attempt by Donald Trump to steal the election.”
CNBC contacted the White House for comment in response to Schumer and voter rights activists’ criticisms of the law.
The Save America Act vote expected next week will come less than eight months before the November midterm elections, which could threaten Republican control of the Senate and House of Representatives.
In recent months, Trump has focused more on elections, saying Republicans should “nationalize” elections, and that he could impose voter-ID requirements by executive order. Trump has also expressed readiness to implement the Save America Act.
He said, “This must be done immediately. It supersedes everything else. Must go to the front of the line.” satya social post Last week. “I, as President, will not sign other bills until this one passes.”
— CNBC’s Justin Papp contributed reporting to this story