Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) signed legislation Wednesday requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote, advancing a state-level version of the proposed federal Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act.
The measure, backed by Republican lawmakers, requires individuals registering to vote in Florida to provide documentary proof of citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate. The move comes after Florida Democrats flipped two seats in the state legislature in special elections on March 24.
DeSantis said the law strengthens election integrity in one of the nation’s most populous states, framing it as part of a broader push by Republican-led states to tighten voting requirements.
“Our Constitution in the state of Florida says only American citizens are allowed to vote in our elections, and so we need to make sure the law reflects that,” DeSantis said during the bill signing.
Florida already requires voters to attest to their citizenship under penalty of law, but the new measure adds documentation requirements at the point of registration.
The legislation mirrors the federal SAVE America Act, which has been championed by congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump but has not been enacted.
Voting rights groups and Democrats have opposed both efforts, arguing they risk disenfranchising voters who may not have easy access to citizenship documents, including elderly voters, married women whose names have changed, and lower-income residents.
The League of Women Voters of Florida and a coalition of advocacy groups, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, were swift to file a federal lawsuit to block the law.
“We are most concerned about impact as it relates to the most vulnerable Florida voters,” Jonathan Topaz, attorney at the ACLU, said. “This could mean older Black voters who grew up in the Jim Crow South who don’t have access to birth certificates, this could be naturalized citizens — we know naturalized citizens are flagged as noncitizens all the time.”
DeSantis disputed these claims and said that the SAVE America Act wouldn’t change much for Floridians if it were enacted federally.
“If the Save America Act federally were to be enacted, 99.7% of Florida voters have already complied with what that law requires,” he said
The signing comes as Florida Democrats point to signs of a political movement in a state that trended reliably Republican for years. The victories for Democrats in March’s special elections emboldened party leaders, who believe the outcomes reflect growing frustration among voters and renewed investment in organizing and turnout efforts.
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Those wins, while limited in scope, have been cited by Democrats as evidence that targeted races and grassroots organizing can still yield gains in a state where Republicans have expanded their voter registration advantage and dominated statewide offices.
Republicans, however, have downplayed the significance of the legislative flips, noting that the party continues to hold supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature and maintains control of the governor’s office.