Ensuring that only U.S. citizens vote in U.S. elections by requiring photo ID and citizenship verification is existential to the future of our constitutional republic — which is why all Americans should support it.
This article is a lightly edited transcript of the “Here’s the Point” podcast by Ryan Helfenbein, executive director of the Standing for Freedom Center.
On Tuesday this week, the U.S. House passed the SAVE America Act, legislation that would require documented proof of American citizenship either by birth certificate, passport, or naturalization papers before anyone can register to vote in federal elections.
The bill would also direct states to establish processes to identify and remove non-citizens voters from the rolls and authorize penalties for election officials who fail to comply.
Currently, 36 states in our nation require some form of identification at the polls. But 14 states, plus Washington, D.C., require no identification whatsoever, and those states include California, New York, and Illinois. In these jurisdictions, voters need only to provide their name or sign an affidavit with no cross-verification. That means no proof of citizenship, no meaningful safeguard against fraud, and no prosecution for cheating in an election.
This represents a fundamental breach of constitutional governance. Make no mistake: When non-citizens cast ballots, they are robbing natural citizens of their right by cancelling their vote. Only citizens have the right to vote. These rights should never be determined based on how Democrats or Republicans think they will vote but on the principle that only Americans citizens should be voting in American elections.
Every illegal vote dilutes the vote of American citizens. And every representative elected with non-citizen votes serves an agenda never authorized by the American people. It is a violation of our Constitution, which circumvents the 14th and 19th Amendments, which prior Americans fought hard to establish and to preserve.
The SAVE America Act now sits before the U.S. Senate with 48 Republican co-sponsors. Yet Democrats have begun their opposition. Hakeem Jeffries called it “clear and blatant voter suppression,” while Adam Schiff dismissed it as “another way to suppress the vote.” This rhetoric is familiar by now. It argues that any attempt to verify citizenship is framed as suppression, oppression, or even racism.
But the American people at large aren’t buying it.
Gallup found that 84 percent of Americans support voter ID requirements. Another survey showed that 70 percent overall support, including 69 percent of Hispanics and 56 percent of black voters. Even 46 percent of Democrats across the country favor such measures. And this includes many states where voter identification is currently not required. This is common-sense reform supported across demographic lines. The only group vehemently opposed appears to be politicians who benefit from the participation of non-citizens in federal elections, where policy outcomes most certainly favor Democrats.
So how should Christians think about the SAVE Act and the broader fight for election integrity? Here are four points.
First, requiring proof of citizenship is not voter suppression, it’s constitutional.
Our government is a constitutional republic. Allowing non-citizens to vote destroys the entire foundation and integrity of our legal system, and that includes who is in our representative form of government and who ultimately represents us, the American citizens.
The Constitution begins with “We the People of the United States,” meaning citizens — not residents or inhabitants. Allowing non-citizens to participate in federal elections violates the constitutional compact itself. Every state refusing to verify citizenship is enabling electoral fraud that strikes at the heart of our constitutional order. Defending citizenship requirements isn’t about exclusion — it’s about preserving the rule of law and legitimacy of our political system.
Second, the 14 states without voter ID requirements are creating a constitutional crisis that cannot stand.
California has an estimated 2.2 million illegal immigrants and requires no identification when voting. New York, Illinois, and New Jersey were all carried by Kamala Harris in 2024, and they impose no meaningful verification standards. There exists no systematic barrier preventing non-citizens from registering to vote and casting their ballot.
Texas and Ohio have already identified thousands of non-citizens on their voter rolls. If it’s happening in red states that are actively checking, what’s happening in blue states that aren’t? Representatives are being elected to Congress by electorates that may include substantial numbers of non-citizens, and it is corrupting the interests of policymakers who have split loyalties with both Americans and non-Americans.
Those same representatives then vote on legislation, they confirm judges, and they make decisions affecting every American citizen — while owing their positions in office to illegal votes. This is representation without proper and legitimate authorization.
Third, we cannot allow future administrations to import or replace voters.
Have you heard of “the great replacement”? The border crisis under the Biden administration resulted in a surge of millions of illegal immigrants across the southern border — most who are now living in the United States in search of a better life but did not arrive here legally.
If there is no mechanism to prevent these individuals from voting once they arrive, much less sending them home, then immigration policy becomes electioneering. Any administration opening the borders while opposing citizenship verification is essentially importing a new electorate to replace the existing one.
As Christians, we must speak with clarity and with truth. This is not about compassion or about immigration reform — this is about the fundamental question of who gets to decide American governance and America’s future.
Should American citizens choose their representatives, or should those representatives be chosen by MS13 gang members or even drug and human traffickers? This is no exaggeration. Many states without voter ID laws allowed these same people to vote in their elections.
The SAVE Act would prevent this by ensuring only documented citizens can register for federal elections. Without it, future elections will be decided not by Americans but by foreign nationals.
Finally, this is a test of whether we still believe our votes and our elections matter.
Remember that Romans 13 is very clear about what the righteous proper use of government authority is — to be a deacon of God’s justice, to punish evil, and to promote the good.
If we fail this fundamental principle of protecting our Constitution, and we allow elections to be hijacked or elections to be manipulated by the voting pattern of non-citizens then we are essentially saying that election integrity, the Constitution, and the rule of law do not matter. And we would deserve whatever government comes as a result of that.
The right to vote is as sacred as the right of citizenship. And we must reject the fearmongering and the false narratives that seek to weaponize — once again — empathy and compassion against the conscience, character, and conviction of ordinary Americans who cannot forfeit their rights of citizenship at any cost.
Yes, elections and election integrity matters. Yes, the Constitution matters. Yes, it matters who votes in our elections — and only citizens have that right. Yes, it matters that there be a uniform and universal standard for representatives in Texas and California, in Florida and New York, in Tennessee and in Illinois.
Regardless of what this bill is or who sponsored the bill, voter identification which requires proof of citizenship is about saving the vote, saving freedom, and saving America’s future. We must get this right.
If you like this article and other content that helps you apply a biblical worldview to today’s politics and culture, consider making a donation here.
