Florida's Republican-led Legislature passed a bill Thursday requiring proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration and imposing stricter identification rules at polling places.

House Bill 991 cleared the House of Representatives 77-28 and the Senate 27-12, with votes falling almost entirely along party lines. The measure now awaits action from Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican who has praised it as 'the Florida version of the SAVE Act' and is expected to sign it.

The bill mandates that the state cross-check voter registrations against records from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Voters must provide documents such as a REAL ID-compliant driver's license, U.S. birth certificate, passport, naturalization certificate, or consular report of birth abroad to verify citizenship. For the more than 800,000 residents with non-REAL ID driver's licenses or state IDs, or those updating registrations due to name or party changes, additional proof may be required if no match is found. Elections supervisors will mail notices, and affected voters must visit county offices with documentation to stay registered.

Starting in January 2027—after the 2026 midterm elections—the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles must indicate legal status on new or renewed driver's licenses and IDs. At polling places, the law bars student IDs, retirement center IDs, neighborhood association IDs, military IDs without photos, and debit or credit cards as acceptable forms of identification. Driver's licenses, state IDs, concealed carry permits, and passports remain valid.

Republicans framed the legislation as essential for maintaining election security. 'We have safe elections in Florida, but they don’t stay safe if we don’t pay attention to gaps where we can address additional fraud,' said Sen. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach. A January 2026 state report identified 198 likely noncitizens who had illegally registered or voted in 2025 out of more than 13 million on the voter rolls, prompting referrals to law enforcement.

The bill mirrors the federal Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, championed by President Donald Trump and passed by the U.S. House but stalled in the Senate. DeSantis noted that Florida already leads in election integrity but the changes will further strengthen it.

Democrats decried the measure as unnecessary voter suppression. 'This will block eligible U.S. citizens from registering and remove longtime voters from the rolls,' said Rep. Ashley Gantt, D-Miami. Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton, called it 'disenfranchisement' that would disproportionately affect certain communities.

Florida has required photo ID at polls since 2011. The new rules join similar efforts in states like Arizona and Kansas, positioning Florida at the forefront of stricter voter verification nationwide.