The SAVE America Act

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Published by The Galveston County Daily News Published: February18, 2026
There’s been much about the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (or SAVE) Act in the news. It passed the house earlier this month and it’s now for the Senate to decide whether to consider and vote on it. What does the SAVE Act do? It requires all voters to show a photo ID in order to vote in Federal elections. It requires everyone to show proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. How does this compare with Texas election laws? Texas has required voters show a photo ID in order to vote in person for over a decade (enacted 2011). An acceptable form of photo ID can include a Texas Driver’s License, Personal Identification Card, or Handgun Permit. A U.S. Armed Forces Identification Card, Citizenship Certificate, or a U.S. Passport are also acceptable. If a person is unable to obtain any of these, he or she can obtain a Texas Election Certificate at no cost. There’s no Texas requirement that voters prove they’re U.S. citizens in order to register to vote. The SAVE Act would change that for federal elections. Recently, Texas voters approved a constitutional amendment stating a person must be a citizen in order to register to vote in state and local elections. This has been U.S. law for decades. However, here in Texas no proof is required. A potential voter simply checks a box on a form stating they are a citizen, but nobody ever checks. There’ve been numerous instances where non-citizens have voted in Texas. In Galveston County a non-citizen voted in five separate elections prior to being discovered. In the last legislative session, the Texas Senate passed SB-16 requiring proof of citizenship in order to register, but it died from lack of leadership in the Texas House. An overwhelming majority of voters – Republican and Democrat – support the photo ID requirement [reportedly over 90% of Republicans, over 70% of Democrats]. Will the Senate consider the SAVE Act? The answer is “It Depends!” With Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) announcing her support there’re enough declared votes for passage. But, with current filibuster rules the Democrat opposition is attempting to shutdown debate. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Mike Lee (R-UT) are calling for changing the Senate filibuster rules eliminating the current “zombie filibuster” where members file their objection, but don’t actually go to the floor and debate. Cruz and Lee want to return to a “standing filibuster” where those opposing a measure must actually be on the Senate floor debating. If this change happens, supporters of the SAVE Act could allow the opposition to talk until they run out of time and then actually vote on the legislation. Members are limited to two speeches on any measure during a “legislative day” [which can go on for a week or more]. If a “standing filibuster” were to be required, then the SAVE Act would have a good chance of adoption. The downside is it could potentially tie up the Senate in nonsensical debate for days and perhaps weeks. We believe Cruz and Lee have the right idea. It preserves the filibuster and forces individual senators to stand up and be counted.


	About the Authors and Columnists 2026 Bill and Mansius have written over 300 guest columns and editorials together over the last ten years for numerous publications across the country and they continue to do so. Bill lives in Texas and Mark in Utah. Both gentlemen ran against each other in the 2012 Republican Primary for Texas Congressional District 14. Since then they have become close friends and colleagues. In addition to formerly being responsible for overseeing elections in Galveston County as Galveston's Chief Deputy Clerk for Elections, Bill has worked with the Texas State Legislature to improve and craft election legislation.
Comment from a retired high-level government official: Good piece. I don't know Texas law but unfortunately some states issued picture drivers licenses to non-citizens. Some states may use drivers licenses as proof of eligibility to vote. This is a potential loop hole in the process intended to have only US citizens vote in Federal elections-which is how it clearly should be. Hopefully, if those opposing proof of citizenship are exposed to the citizens before the mid-terms, our legitimate voters will oppose them at the polls. This clearly also exposes the nefarious strategy of open borders to throw elections. Unfortunately, the last census included non-citizens and yet is being used to justify redistricting.