DeSantis Signs Florida Voter Citizenship Law

Governor Ron DeSantis signed Florida's version of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE) into law on Wednesday, requiring voters to provide proof of citizenship when registering and before casting ballots. The legislation takes effect January 1, 2027.

According to The Guardian, four states have now passed similar laws this year: Florida, Mississippi, South Dakota, and Utah. The measures come as federal voting restrictions proposed in the SAVE America Act stall in Congress. DeSantis anticipated legal challenges but expressed confidence in defending the law.

Civil rights groups immediately filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Florida's measure. As reported by CBS News, plaintiffs including the League of Women Voters argue the documentation requirements create unnecessary barriers for eligible voters, particularly those born without birth certificates, affected by natural disasters, or facing financial hurdles in obtaining replacement documents.

The law removes student IDs and retirement community identifications as acceptable polling identification. It also requires candidates to disclose dual citizenship status and potential stock trading while in office. Election officials expressed concerns about verifying the authenticity of various birth certificates from different states, per UPI. Similar measures in other states face ongoing legal challenges.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the Florida law requires voters to provide a birth certificate, passport, or naturalization certificate as proof of citizenship if their eligibility is challenged. The law also mandates that citizenship status be reflected on driver’s licenses starting in July 2027.

In Mississippi, the new law signed by Governor Tate Reeves requires local officials to run additional citizenship checks if applicants don’t have or can’t provide driver’s license numbers on their voter application. The law takes effect July 1 and mandates annual checks of voter rolls against an online database from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

DeSantis stated that the law improves the security and transparency of Florida’s election system, while civil rights organizations argue it will make it harder for Floridians to vote. The Southern Poverty Law Center has said that the Mississippi law could disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of Mississippians who don’t have a passport or lack a birth certificate.