Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Florida's version of the SAVE ACT to bolster election integrity measures, including U.S. citizenship verification for voter registration, during a press conference at The Villages today.
"You got to have a valid ID that proves that you are a resident of the state of Florida," DeSantis said.
The bill (HB 991) also does the following:
- Mandates voting by paper ballot
- Bans student IDs as a form of voter ID
- Tightens petition qualifying rules and imposes stricter penalties for petition fraud
- Requires new and returning candidates for Congress to disclose stock trading activity
"The reality is it's gotten to the point where it's become a national farce what goes on," DeSantis suggested.
"When you have Nancy Pelosi outperforming people like Warren Buffett, when you have members of Congress... buying things, and then... a week or two later, major events occur that cause those stocks to go up, it's one thing to hit the jackpot once in your life, but when you see it routinely, for people that never had any financial acumen all of a sudden show up to Congress and they become like... the best hedge fund managers in the country, something is wrong with that picture," DeSantis commented.
Reps. Jenna Persons-Mulicka (R-Fort Myers) and Dana Trabulsy (R-Fort Pierce) sponsored the bill in the House, and Sen. Erin Grall (R-Fort Pierce) sponsored a comparable bill in the Senate.
The Republican Party of Florida also celebrated its signing, calling it a "Big win" for election integrity in the state.
“Floridians deserve absolute confidence that every legal vote counts and that our elections are secure,” Florida GOP Chairman Evan Power said after its passing in the Legislature in March.
The bill will take effect on Jan. 1, 2027. Notably, the SAVE Act will not take effect until after the midterm elections.
Florida's version of the SAVE Act is similar to the federal SAVE America Act, which passed in the House but has since stalled in the Senate.
