06/26/2026
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is sounding the alarm, warning that the Republican-backed SAVE America Act could "remove 25 million people" from the nation's voter rolls.
Speaking about the bill, Schumer claimed it would force every state to hand its voter rolls over to the Department of Homeland Security, where an algorithm would decide whether each registered American is "legitimately right to vote or not." He called it one of the most anti-democratic proposals he's ever seen.
The SAVE America Act, formally the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. Supporters say it stops noncitizen voting. Critics warn it could trip up tens of millions of eligible Americans who don't have easy access to a passport or birth certificate, married women whose names have changed, and rural and low-income voters.
It's worth being precise about Schumer's number. The "25 million" figure is his warning, not a settled projection. In the same remarks, his count shifted between 25 million, 20 million, and 30 million, and he didn't point to a specific study or mechanism to back it up. What's not in dispute is the core fight: who gets added to a federal eligibility-screening system, and who could get knocked off the rolls because of it.
That's the question voting-rights advocates want answered before this bill goes any further. SHOULD CITIZENS HAVE TO PROVE THEIR ELIGIBILITY TO AN ALGORITHM JUST TO KEEP THEIR RIGHT TO VOTE?