SAVE America Act, an election integrity bill, passes US House

By SUZANNE DOWNING

Feb. 12, 2026 – The US House of Representatives has approved the SAVE America Act, an election measure that has exposed divisions inside Alaska’s congressional delegation.

Alaska Congressman Nick Begich co-sponsored it; however, Sen. Lisa Murkowski opposes it.

“The passage of the SAVE America Act is instrumental in strengthening election integrity and restoring trust in our election process. This legislation reinforces the foundational principle that the United States must be the gold standard for secure and transparent elections. American elections are for American citizens. Additionally, American elections must engender trust by ensuring each vote is cast by a valid voter. These basic principles are broadly supported by Americans from all ideological persuasions and walks of life, and I am proud to see this legislation pass the House,” Congressman Begich said.

The bill, formally titled the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (H.R. 7296), was introduced Jan. 30 and passed the House on Wednesday by a 218-213 vote. Republicans voted unanimously in favor, while nearly all Democrats opposed it.

The SAVE Act would require Americans to provide proof of US citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate, when registering to vote in federal elections. It also imposes stricter photo identification rules, curtails some forms of mail-in voting, and mandates more aggressive voter-roll maintenance, including purges of inactive or potentially ineligible registrants.

The legislation now moves to the Senate, where it faces steep odds. Democrats are expected to mount a filibuster, meaning supporters would need 60 votes to advance it, a threshold that appears difficult.

While President Donald Trump and conservative groups have pushed hard for the bill, there is no clear path forward in the current Senate, especially with Murkowski in opposition. Similar versions have passed the House in recent years, only to stall before reaching the president’s desk.

For Alaska, the debate has become especially notable because the state’s delegation is not unified.

Murkowski has publicly opposed the measure, calling it unconstitutional federal overreach. Murkowski argues that the Constitution gives states primary authority over the “times, places, and manner” of elections, and she warned that Washington mandates rarely fit Alaska’s unique circumstances. She also pointed out the contradiction in Republicans embracing federal election standards now after rejecting Democratic election reform proposals in 2021 on the grounds that they would federalize elections.

A Murkowski moment: Senator who opposes voter ID is checkmated by her own voting record

Sen. Dan Sullivan Sullivan cosponsored the Senate companion legislation, S.128, introduced in January 2025, signaling his support for requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration in federal elections. While Sullivan has not issued a fresh public statement specifically about the House-passed version of the bill, his sponsorship places him firmly in the camp of those backing stricter voter eligibility enforcement.

In the House, Congressman Nick Begich voted in favor of the SAVE Act and praised it as a common-sense safeguard designed to ensure that only US citizens participate in federal elections. Begich framed the bill as a way to restore public confidence in the voting system, a theme echoed by Republicans nationwide.

With the Senate expected to block the measure, the SAVE Act may not become law this year.