A bill to impose heightened requirements for first-time voters, including mandating presentation of documents such as a U.S. passport or birth certificate — received its first hearing in this year’s legislative session, and was approved by a party-line vote in the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee on Wednesday.
Critics warned the bill would backfire and block voter registrations of eligible U.S. citizens.
The proposal (SB 1334) is sponsored by Sen. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach. It would make a number of revisions to election laws, but by far the most contentious would require a voter to provide specific documents to prove he or she a U.S. citizen if records from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) indicate that they are not.
Grall says that only voters who lack a driver’s license that is REAL ID-compliant would have to prove their citizenship. (A 2005 federal law called the REAL ID Act requires standardized driver’s licenses and ID cards to be issued by all U.S. states). She later said that 99% of Floridians are already REAL ID-compliant.
Among the documents the bill would deem acceptable to prove citizenship are:
- An original or certified copy of a birth certificate;
- A valid unexpired passport;
- A naturalization certificate issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security;
- A Consular Report of Birth Abroad provided by the U.S. Department of State;
- A current and valid Florida driver license of Florida ID card — if that card indicates U.S. citizenship;
- A current and valid photo identification issued by the federal government or the state which indicates U.S. citizenship;
- An order from a federal court granting U.S. citizenship.
The bill is similar to the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. That bill has passed in the GOP-controlled U.S. House but has been bitterly opposed by Democrats in the U.S. Senate.
Disenfranchisement
Senator Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton, questioned Grall about why an expired U.S. passport would not be sufficient to prove one’s U.S. citizenship (new U.S. passports are valid for 10 years).
Grall noted that someone could become a citizen of another country or give up their U.S. citizenship after their passport expired. “It’s not something that should be relied upon,” she said. “There’s an expiration [date] for a reason.”
According to a report by the liberal D.C-based Center for American Progress, more than 8 million Floridians lacked a U.S. passport in fiscal year 2024.
Voting rights advocates denounced the bill, saying the requirements to prove U.S. citizenship will end up preventing eligible U.S. citizens from voting.
“How many United States citizens in Florida are you willing to disenfranchise? And what percentage of otherwise eligible voters losing access to the ballot is acceptable to you?” asked Jonathan Webber of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
“We believe this bill will remove thousands of eligible U.S. citizens from the voter rolls and prevent many others of being able to registering to vote by imposing unnecessary burdensome requirements,” said Brad Ashwell, Florida state director with All Voting is Local Action.
“It creates massive bureaucratic hurdles while requiring them to pay for official documents like passports, original birth certificates, proof of name change in order to exercise their fundamental right to vote. Many Floridians do not have these documents.”
Critics noted that Kansas implemented a similar bill in 2011 that ended up blocking the voter registrations of more than 31,000 U.S. citizens who were otherwise eligible to vote. That was 12% of everyone seeking to register in Kansas for the first time. Federal courts ultimately declared the law an unconstitutional burden on voting rights, and it hasn’t been enforced since 2018, according to the Associated Press.
A suggestion
One of the few public speakers to praise the legislation was Karen Jaroch of Heritage Action. She noted that nearly 80% of Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2020 that requires that only U.S. citizens who are at least 18 years old and are registered to vote can qualify to vote in a Florida election
“Yet we lack a comprehensive system to verify citizenship for new and existing voters,” she said. “A law without enforcement is merely a suggestion.”
Sen. Grall said that despite the criticism, her bill will make it easier for people to vote.
“In May of 2025, DHSMV announced that 99% of IDs carried by Floridians were REAL ID-compliant,” she said. “If you have a valid real ID and you are a citizen, you should not have to reprove it. That’s what this bill says.”
The DHSMV did send out such a statement last May to that effect.
The measure now has two more stops to go through in the Senate. Its House companion (HB 991) is sponsored by Reps. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, R-Fort Myers, and Rep. Dana Trabulsy, R-Fort Pierce. A similar bill sponsored by Persons-Mulicka failed at the end of the 2025 legislative session.
celia says
Passports are not free and very costly….to start with. About $165 first time application and $135 for renewal, at least last I known. One more hurdle to be able to vote!
TR says
Great idea. Of course the left doesn’t like it because they will lose votes from the non citizens (or people who have already died) that have been able to vote in the past. If someone has the required document (s) that are up to date, then they have nothing to worry about.
Laurel says
TR: I’m an Independent, and I don’t like it, and I’ll tell you why. You are making a claim without any proof of such a supposed need. No facts, no proof. Just talk. No matter how many times you are presented with the facts that show there is no real problem, you ignore it and make the same, unsubstantiated claims. Like a broken record.
TR says
I also am an Independent. Put with all the proof from previous elections of people voting more than once, or people using dead people’s id’s etc. This is a necessary thing. But you missed the fact it’s for NEW voters registrations only. If they do it legally and sign up with the proper material then the new voters have nothing to worry about. The ones that want to call it suppression are the ones that might want to try and get away with something illegal. There has been plenty of facts that show there is a need for this and I’m good with it. We both have a right to our opinions and we’ll see how it plays out.
Laurel says
TR: Okay, since you know of all these facts, please direct me to them.
Laurel says
This is usually where the trail ends.
Deborah Coffey says
Do you know how expensive it is to get new papers and driver’s licenses if you’re divorced, remarried, or widowed, or if you move? This is pure and simple voter suppression for women (who mostly vote Democratic)…up to 60,000,000 of them that may have not made the appropriate name and address changes on their documents because it is so expensive. Another great Republican plan to cheat!
AI says:
An estimated 69 million American women (approximately 33% to 50% of voting-age women) do not have birth certificates or other citizenship documents that reflect their current legal name, primarily due to changes in surname after marriage.
This widespread issue has been highlighted in discussions surrounding voter ID requirements, such as the SAVE Act, which would necessitate documentation matching a person’s current name.
Regina says
No. The federal one is going to affect everyone, including those who are already registered to vote. That’s the bigger problem. The silver lining is that a similar law was passed in Kansas and was struck down as unconstitutional. SAVE act will likely come under scrutiny (or it should), but this SCOTUS is a rubber stamp for MAGA, pretty much., so I am rapidly starting to distrust their ability to properly interpret the Constitution according to traditional understanding. Redefining the Constitution’s language’s meaning all of a sudden in order to suit an ideology is wrong whether it’s liberals or conservatives doing it.
Married women who have changed their last names like Western tradition usually dictates is right and proper will be screwed out of voting unless they pay for an update to their federally recognized documentation. People who don’t have a current copy of their birth cert or a current passport will have to pay for those documents, constituting what might as well be a “poll tax” by another name (that practice was abolished many decades ago because it was firmly ruled unconstitutional). Those documents are NOT CHEAP for most middle-class and working poor, which constitute the majority of voters.
it’s the 21st century. The least the Feds can do is make an easy-to-use website where you can use your SSN and name to verify your citizen status in minutes. It’ll also save ALOT of legally-present people and US Citizens from ICE, theoretically.
Dusty says
Great one vote for each legal US citizen what a great concept.
Laurel says
Not a new one.
Deirdre says
Midterm elections could make or break this administration, I REALLY hope people vote. I KNOW PLENTY OF PEOPLE WHO NEVER DO!
Regardless of who you vote for, American citizens have the right to vote, we can’t let any administration rob us of that right.
Trump wants ICE agents to be at polling places, most people feel they will be there to intimidate voters, which is illegal. Doesn’t mean it won’t happen!
It’s no coincidence this administration wants to have access to voters information, they’re trying to stop free and fair elections.
Why would they tell the people of Minneapolis they’ll remove ICE agents if they give them voter info? The city is like a war zone right now, no surprise there’s been a couple of murders of American citizens. AMERICAN CITIZENS. I don’t know how anyone can believe this is about illegal immigrants at this point.
If anyone votes by mail be aware that dropping off your ballot at the post office doesn’t means it will be received on time, so do it early, because the postmarked day is not the same day you get it there.
It could be days later, new law, but if you don’t get it in on time it doesn’t count. If you’re concerned about encountering ICE agents, you need to request a mail in ballot in advance.
I don’t know all the details, but they are making it harder to vote, especially for married women that have changed their names. Make sure you’re still registered.
In the past presidential election, Harris and Trump were practically tied, but over 89,000,000 of eligible voters didn’t vote. Please don’t miss the midterms, because if you’re not happy with the current administration, nothing’s going to change if you don’t show up.
BTW Illegal immigrants can’t vote! These claims are ridiculous, do some research from a variety of sources if you think they do.
TR says
You’re correct that voting is a right. So because one doesn’t like the outcome of the last election you can only blame the 89,000,000 people who didn’t vote. Not that it would have made a difference. Isn’t that the same number of voters that voted to elect Joe in 2020? Maybe they weren’t eligible voters. I for one, don’t care who’s watching the polls to make sure it’s all done legally. if it prevents illegal votes then it’s good for me. It’s only intimidating to people who have something to hide. But I’ll tell you this, if I see an agent from any law enforcement, I’m going to thank them.
Deirdre says
If you’re a brown or black American citizen, exercising your right to vote, it wouldn’t be surprising that an ICE presence would intimidate you, considering their targeting people of color.
That’s why it’s illegal to have them where people vote.
Sherry says
@tr. . . Post “credible facts” that prove the 2020 elections were not accurate and legal. . . or, we will all continue to “know” that you are only capable of posting FOX lying BS.
Thanks!
Laurel says
TR: You do that.
But, If heavily armed (necessary for voting?) ICE or Border Patrol agents start pulling people out of line, and they miss voting because of the color of their skin, even being U. S. citizens, because the not so Supreme Court said agents can do racial profiling, will you still be proud to cheat? This is the America you want? Please let me know.
What Else Is New says
TR, bless your heart. Please understand noncitizens do not vote. MAGAs have a propensity of lying about noncitizens voting. The neofacist in the White House wishes to overthrow the Voting Rights Act denying black and brown voters their Constitutional right. Not gonna happen.
Ray W. says
Perhaps many FlaglerLive readers will agree that my commenting propensity is to name a source before listing information derived from that source. I then ask readers to make of the information whatever they want. Accept it. Reject it. Ignore it. Learn from it. I then offer my interpretation.
Please take the following in the context of no one ever knowing how any individual actually casts a ballot, unless some tells about for whom they voted, because voting choices are kept secret. That means that a Republican who fraudulently votes in the name of her deceased mother might actually have voted for a Democrat. No one can ever know, unless the fraudulent Republican voter reveals what she did.
Likewise, a fraudulent immigrant voter can vote for either party. It is no secret that President Trump crowed about a significant shift in Hispanic voters in 2024 to him.
Is it fair to argue that any conclusion made by any FlaglerLive commenter about who votes for whom is likely worthless, unless the commenter can back up the claim with reliable research or data.
So, here goes.
The Heritage Foundation, based on a nationwide review of prosecutions for voter fraud between 1997 and 2019, reported that 19 persons in 23 years engaged in the act of fraudulently voting in the name of a deceased voter.
A Brennan Center for Justice review of a Missouri audit found some 100 instances of deceased names on state voter rolls. An investigation of each of the names found that all of them were due to a “matching error, a problem in the underlying data, or a clerical error by elections officials or voters.”
Make of this what you will.
Me?
Yes, a minuscule number of people commit voter fraud by voting for dead persons. Yes, a higher number of the deceased may be on voter rolls, when audited, but almost all of the instances, when researched, may be due to errors, not fraud.
But a contested mid-term election looms. The party in power has made decisions that some Independent and moderate Republican voters say are mistakes. Party leaders know of this trend and are launching responses, some vitriolic, some untruthful. The lie launderers among us have launched their own responses.
All FlaglerLive readers ought to take care. As the election approaches, many commenters, through misinformation or disinformation, will exalt the friend and denigrate the foe, not for purposes of educating people, but for purposes of pestilential partisan political gain. Exaggeration and minimization will proliferate.
We all will read the ancient yet enduring lie about immigrants being brought into the country to vote for Democratic candidates. It was a lie 100 years ago and it is a lie today. Immigrants simply do not vote illegally in significant numbers and those few who vote Democrat are simply canceled out by the other few who vote Republican.
A 2016 study by the Brennan Center for Justice of 42 jurisdictions with high percentages of immigrants found that out of 23.5 million votes cast in the 2016 federal election, 30 instances of suspected immigrant votes were discovered. Of course, no one knows for whom each voted. All Democrat? All Republican? A mix?
The Heritage Foundation found 85 instances of ineligible immigrant voting between 2002 and 2023. Of course, no one knows for whom each voted.
In 2024, Georgia released the results of its audit of the voting records of 8.2 million registered voters. Auditors found nine instances of immigrants having voted. No one knows for whom each voted.
Perhaps a question needs to be raised. What incentive does an undocumented immigrant have to illegally vote? If caught they risk a felony conviction, a conviction that would eliminate any possibility of naturalization. A conviction that could lead to deportation.
The lie of illegal immigrant voting in numbers sufficient to change election results requires suspension of credulity by the most gullible among us. Yes, immigrants do commit voter fraud. Nine out of 8.2 million registered Georgia voters? Prosecute them all. Deport them all. But don’t lie about your knowing how they voted and don’t grossly magnify the impact of their nine votes.
Laurel says
Perfectly logical and vetted response. Yet, the lie launderers will ignore the truth, will not respond with factual statistics, and simply continue on to the next comment with the same lie.
There is more of a need to *be right* than to learn and move on, to the benefit of all.
Sherry says
@ Laurel. . . and, the kernel of the problem is: they believe they are “right”. . . without one ounce of “credible facts/evidence”. . . merely because FOX and trump say so! The perfect example of brainwashed indoctrination!
Laurel says
The easy way.
Deirdre says
Here’s some info on the SAVE act, which will be voted on by the House of Representatives this week. Keep in mind this affects people that vote Republican too! If conservatives are scared of a blue wave maybe they would want to register to vote, it’s not just a liberal thing, these restrictions apply to everyone.
We all need a real ID which is a star on your drivers license, you should check.
1. “The SAVE Act: What to know about the bill requiring proof of citizenship to vote,” Axios, April 10, 2025
https://www.axios.com/2025/02/11/save-act-what-to-know
2. “The SAVE Act Would Hurt Americans Who Actively Participate in Elections,” Brennan Center for Justice, February 5, 2026
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/save-act-would-hurt-americans-who-actively-participate-elections
3. “House Bill Would Hurt American Voters,” Brennan Center for Justice, February 5, 2026
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/house-bill-would-hurt-american-voters
4. “Married Women Could Be Stopped From Voting Under SAVE Act,” Newsweek, February 13, 2025
https://www.newsweek.com/married-women-stopped-voting-save-act-2029325
5. “How Republicans mainstreamed the baseless idea of noncitizen voting in 2024,” NPR, October 18, 2024
https://www.npr.org/2024/10/16/nx-s1-5147790/noncitizen-voting-claims-trump
6. “Exhaustive fact check finds little evidence of voter fraud, but 2020’s ‘Big Lie’ lives on,” PBS News, December 17, 2021
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/exhaustive-fact-check-finds-little-evidence-of-voter-fraud-but-2020s-big-lie-lives-on
If you don’t like the idea of the SAVE act contact your representative ASAP
Deirdre says
Information about what’s going on in Florida, extremists are slipping through more bills while people are focusing on other things like SAVE, which will be a nightmare for talents of millions of people if it passes. Even if you vote Republican! It affects everyone, not just liberals if that’s what you think.
I don’t know if I can put a video here about these Florida bills, but please look them ASAP.
If you email anyone here is a summary of the bills to cut/paste if you write Florida’s politicians:
HB 1471 (domestic terrorism, passed)
HB 1071 (no school activism)
HB 173 (no STI treatment)
HB 1307 immigrants
SB 1380 immigrants
SB 1134 DEI
SGR 1104 religion in schools
Book bans
Don’t say gay & trans
FL reps:
Rick Scott
Ashley moody
Ron Desantis
Our rep in Flagler/Daytona beach is Randy Fine, district 6 – he’s the one that needs to see this, good luck, this guy is a piece of work and needs to be voted out of office.
Even MTG and AIPAC have distanced themselves from him, and a judge has ordered him to take anger management classes.
Next chance to vote him out is August. Even if you’re conservative/Republican, this individual should not be in politics.