Florida and Mississippi Enact Proof-of-Citizenship Voter Laws

Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 991, known as the Florida SAVE Act, on April 1, 2026, in The Villages, Florida. The law requires voters to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship—such as birth certificates, passports, or naturalization certificates—during registration or if their eligibility is challenged via motor vehicle records. It also mandates the use of paper ballots, prohibits the use of student and retirement community IDs at polls, and requires candidates to disclose dual citizenship and stock trading activity. Most provisions take effect January 1, 2027.

Simultaneously, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves signed the SHIELD Act, effective July 1, 2026. This law requires additional citizenship checks for applicants without driver's license numbers and mandates annual voter roll audits against United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement databases. Both state actions mirror federal legislation championed by President Donald Trump that has stalled in the U.S. Senate.

Within hours of the signing, a coalition of voting rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, NAACP, and League of Women Voters of Florida, filed federal lawsuits in the Southern and Northern Districts of Florida. Plaintiffs argue the requirements create unconstitutional barriers and act as a "modern-day poll tax" that disproportionately disenfranchises low-income, naturalized, and elderly Black voters. Local election officials have expressed concerns regarding the administrative burden and the lack of funding for verifying out-of-state documents.