Citizenship voting requirement in SAVE Act has no basis in the Constitution - and ignores precedent that only states decide who gets to vote

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

59% : It was not until legislators passed subsequent amendments, starting after the Civil War up through the 1970s, that the Constitution even explicitly prohibited voting laws that discriminate on account of race, sex or age.
58% : For now, the SAVE Act is simply legislation.
54% : For state and local elections, the 10th Amendment grants states the power to regulate their internal elections as they see fit. States also get to decide who may vote in federal elections, which include both presidential and congressional elections.
54% : Every SAVE Act cosponsor is Republican, as were all but four of the 220 U.S. representatives who voted to pass it.
54% : When it comes to the constitutionality of the SAVE Act, though, proponents simply assert that Congress is acting within its purview.
52% : By requiring individuals to show documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register for federal elections, the SAVE Act is implicitly saying that someone must be a U.S. citizen to vote in federal elections.
52% : Any state these days could similarly extend the right to vote in state and federal elections to permanent noncitizen residents.
51% : With a now GOP-controlled Senate, and a Republican in the White House, the SAVE Act could become law before 2025 ends.
51% : As a legal scholar who studies, among other things, foreign interference in elections, I find considerations about the potential effects of the SAVE Act important, especially given how rare it is that a noncitizen actually votes in federal elections.
51% : Sen. Mike Lee, for example, explicitly referenced the Elections Clause when defending the SAVE Act earlier in 2025.
50% : People in such communities often lack the forms of ID acceptable under the SAVE Act for a variety of reasons, including socioeconomic factors.
49% : Yet, in this instance, where Congress has no actual authority to implement voter qualifications, the SAVE Act would seem to have no constitutional leg on which to stand.
48% : So, should the SAVE Act become law, if a person turns 18 or moves between states and wishes to register to vote in federal elections in their new home, they would likely be turned away if they do not have any such documents readily available.
48% : And if this were to happen, there could be a conflict between that state's voter-eligibility laws and the SAVE Act.
46% : The Constitution says little about voting rights Despite the national conversation the SAVE Act has sparked, it is unclear whether Congress even has the power to enact it.
40% : Yet, it is equally crucial to consider a more fundamental question: is the SAVE Act even constitutional? How the SAVE Act could change voting requirements The SAVE Act would forbid state election officials from registering an individual to vote in federal elections unless this person "provides documentary proof of United States citizenship.
37% : " Is the SAVE Act constitutional? The SAVE Act presents a constitutional dilemma.

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