Passed
220 Yea208 Nay5 Not voting1/2 required
HR-22-119
Received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
Sponsored by Chip Roy (R-TX)
What it does
Requires individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship — such as a passport or REAL ID-compliant license indicating citizenship — when registering to vote in federal elections. States must reject voter registration applications that lack this documentation and must remove non-citizens from existing voter rolls.
Who benefits
Supporters say U.S. citizens who can provide documentation gain added assurance that voter rolls contain only eligible voters, strengthening confidence in federal election integrity.
Who is hurt
Eligible citizens who lack qualifying documents — including an estimated 21 million Americans without passports or REAL ID-compliant IDs, disproportionately affecting low-income, elderly, and rural voters — may face barriers to registration.
Supporters argue
Current federal law relies on self-attestation when registering to vote. Supporters argue documentary proof closes a potential gap, aligns federal elections with the 26 states that already require citizenship verification, and mirrors documentation requirements for other government benefits.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that non-citizen voting in federal elections is already illegal and extremely rare, making the law a solution to a negligible problem. Critics say the documentation burden will disenfranchise millions of eligible citizens who lack qualifying ID, with no federal funding provided to states for implementation.
Passed