(LifeSiteNews) — The Florida legislature has passed a bill requiring proof of citizenship to vote, as similar legislation stalls in the U.S. Senate.
The voter ID law, passed by the Florida House of Representatives last month, was passed by the Florida Senate on Thursday, and is expected to be signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis.
It will “verify that the people who are voting in our elections are indeed actual U.S. citizens,” said Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingolia.
🚨Governor DeSantis announces the passage of the Florida version of SAVE America Act even though most of it is already Florida law.
“Most of the stuff in Save America at the federal level, we’ve already done in Florida. Some of the stuff has nothing to do with voting, like not… pic.twitter.com/LBO1WB1G9T
— Chris Nelson 🏝️🇺🇸 (@ReOpenChris) March 13, 2026
The law would set up a digital database that would match the state voter registration database as well as the driver’s license database, meaning those who have renewed their driver’s licenses as part of federal REAL ID — who have already had to prove their citizenship — would not have to take extra steps to do so before voting.
The approximately 872,000 people with licenses or state ID that are not REAL ID compliant, or others who don’t have a driver’s license, would have to show a birth certificate, passport, or naturalization paperwork before voting, according to Governing.
The bill includes other voting provisions, such as a requirement that all voting be done “by official ballot using certain pens.”
Ingolia compared the bill to the federal SAVE America Act, which was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last month but has stalled in the U.S. Senate for weeks.
“It is a common-sense piece of legislation and should be simple stuff,” Ingolia said in a press conference last week regarding the federal bill. “If you want to vote in our elections, you should have a voter ID. If you want to vote in our elections, we should verify that you belong here in the country, and we should verify your citizenship. I think most people agree with that.”
“What’s amazing to me is that they are still having a tough time reconciling this and getting across the finish line on a very simple piece of legislation. It just befuddles me why Congress always has problems passing the same laws that Florida passes so effortlessly,” Ingolia continued. “Congress is becoming a place where good ideas go to die. There is zero reason — zero reason — why the Senate should not take this up and pass it into law,” he added.
DeSantis boasted that the bill “will further fortify our state as the leader in election integrity,” shortly before the state legislature passed the voter ID law.
