With House lawmakers recently voting along party lines on the SAVE Act, the voter integrity legislative measure Republicans filed to prevent illegal immigrants from voting in U.S. elections, the measure could become one of the key pieces of legislation that tips the scale during the 2026 midterm elections.
The bill to keep illegal immigrants from voting in future elections passed by a final vote count of 223-206, with 3 members "not voting."
The slim majority House Republicans hold is in jeopardy, but with congressional redistricting in Florida that is expected to occur in April, House Democrats who represent historically safe congressional districts and voted against the SAVE Act could find themselves in a tight bind if Republicans redraw the congressional maps in their favor.
Two of the Democratic seats in question are those of Reps. Jared Moskowitz and Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has already announced its intentions of targeting Rep. Moskowitz, but could Republicans also pivot to Rep. Wasserman Schultz and others?
Rep. Wasserman Schultz is in a very safe Democrat-leaning district, but if Republicans have their way, that safe Democrat seat could become less safe, if not a toss-up.
Wasserman Schultz recently stated her reasons for voting against the voter integrity legislation, saying that the bill would "disenfranchise millions of women across this country" who have changed their name after marriage.
"It (SAVE ACT) would stop me from being able to register to vote and prove who I am because it says that you have to have your birth certificate match your legal name," said Wasserman Schultz. "Well, 84,000,000 women have a birth certificate that doesn't match their legal name just like me."
In addition, Wasserman Schultz points out that the bill mandates that in order for someone to register to vote, they must first show up in person to do so.
"This bill also says that you have to show up in person to register to vote, so it throws many obstacles in people's path to registering to vote, and a huge hurdle to prevent so many women, millions of women, from being able to prove who they are. Republicans are trying to make it harder for women to vote," she added.
Republican Michael Carbonara, who is the leading candidate running against Wasserman Schultz, has openly expressed his support for the SAVE Act while taking a political swipe at his opponent for voting against the measure.
"Right now, in this country, you don't have to prove your citizen a vote. No ID, no documents, literally just show up and cast a ballot," said Carbonara in a recent campaign social media ad.
Carbonara added that Wasserman Schultz has taken a selfish approach at protecting voter rights.
"The SAVE Act fixes it. Prove you're a citizen, show an ID, vote. I’d make the ID free, so there's zero excuses. Debbie Watchman Schultz, had over 20 years to protect your vote. She spent it protecting her own career instead," he added.
The bill is currently being negotiated in the U.S. Senate, but obstacles have been put in place to stymie a floor vote. The bill appears doomed to pass in the Senate.
