Congressional Republicans introduce Make Elections Great Again Act

By SUZANNE DOWNING

Jan. 29, 2026 – Paper ballots. Voter ID requirements. Standardized rules nationwide. House Republicans on Thursday unveiled a federal elections reform package that would mandate photo identification for voting and require citizenship verification to register to vote, reviving long-standing conservative priorities on election integrity.

The legislation, dubbed the Make Elections Great Again Act, is sponsored by Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Wis.), chair of the House Administration Committee. Supporters say the bill is designed to restore public confidence in elections by standardizing rules nationwide and closing vulnerabilities that became flashpoints during the 2020 election cycle.

“Americans should be confident their elections are being run with integrity – including commonsense voter ID requirements, clean voter rolls, and citizenship verification,” Steil said in a statement. “These reforms will improve voter confidence, bolster election integrity, and make it easy to vote, but hard to cheat.”

The bill would require voters to present photo identification when casting a ballot and mandate proof of citizenship when registering to vote. It also imposes new federal standards on how states administer and maintain their election systems — areas that became politically charged after 2020 and fueled claims of widespread election irregularities.

Among its most significant provisions, the legislation would require mail-in ballots to be received by the close of polls on Election Day in order to be counted, with an exception for US military members stationed overseas. Currently, several states allow ballots to be counted days after Election Day as long as they are postmarked on time — a practice that has frequently delayed election outcomes, particularly in states like California, where most ballots are cast by mail.

The bill would also require states to use auditable paper ballots in federal elections. While most ballots are already paper-based, a 2024 Brennan Center for Justice analysis estimated that 98% of votes in the presidential election were cast on paper, Republicans argue that formalizing the requirement strengthens transparency and auditability nationwide.

Additional provisions include stricter routine voter roll maintenance, aimed at removing outdated or invalid registrations, and a ban on universal vote-by-mail systems by requiring voters to affirmatively request a mail ballot rather than receiving one automatically.

Democrats and voting-rights groups have historically opposed similar measures, arguing that voter ID laws and citizenship verification requirements create barriers to participation. Republicans counter that the policies reflect mainstream public support and mirror standards already required for everyday activities such as boarding flights, purchasing alcohol, or opening bank accounts.

The Make Elections Great Again Act will unified Democratic opposition in the House and a difficult path in the Senate, but GOP leaders say the bill sets a clear legislative marker for the 2026 election cycle and beyond — framing election integrity as a central national issue heading into future federal races.