The Florida Legislature passed a bill on Thursday requiring state residents to prove their U.S. citizenship to register to vote or bring photo ID to voting centers.
The bill is similar to the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which has reached a buffer among federal lawmakers.
Senate Bill 1334 (SB 1334) requires election officials to confirm voters’ citizenship via government databases when they register to vote, update their registration, or during list maintenance. If a voter’s eligibility is uncertain, they would be asked to prove their citizenship.
Sen. Erin Grall (R-Vero Beach) ushered in the bill through the committee process, offering a “strike-all amendment” on the Senate floor to substitute House Bill 991 (HB 991).
HB 991 and SB 1334 are nearly identical pieces of legislation. HB 991 has an effective date of Jan. 2027 and rejects student IDs, while SB 1334 has an effective date of Jul. 2026 and does not specify whether or not student IDs are acceptable.
Grall justified the change in dates, arguing to fellow legislators that delaying the effective date provides "adequate time in order for that population who does not yet have a Real ID to come into compliance or to in some other way prove their citizenship."
Grall’s measure passed in the Senate on a 27-12 vote. The bill then returned to the House, where it reached a final 77-28 vote.
"When you show up at the polls for election integrity purposes, we want to make sure that you are who you are, and that somebody hasn't stolen your identity," Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka (R-Naples) said, backing the bill. "So our list would match what Congress is currently considering in the SAVE America Act."
The national version of the legislation, the SAVE America Act, has not received similar ease. The bill was passed in the House in February but is having difficulty in the Senate, as it needs 60 votes to pass. Republicans only control 53 seats in the House.
