House passes SAVE Act: What it could mean for Mississippi voters

PINE BELT, Miss. (WDAM) - The United States House has passed the SAVE America Act, a bill that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and show a valid photo ID at the polls.

After passing the House, questions remain about how the changes would work at the local level.

“The mechanisms that are in the bill itself,” Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson said. “You know, a lot of states that I’m aware (of) don’t have ‘citizen’ or ‘non-citizen’ on their driver’s license at this point.

“And, as I understand the bill now, that would cause some issues with folks having to prove their citizenship at the precinct when they go vote.”

Watson said there’s already a process in place to verify voters before they ever reach the polls.

“If you register to vote now, your information is run across several security databases,” said Watson. “If it pops up that says this person might not be a citizen, they … have to come in and prove their citizenship with our circuit clerk’s office.

“So, again, I think that’s done a really good job for Mississippi.”

While some critics call the bill an extra hurdle, Watson said the priority is protecting elections.

“Is it another step in the process?” Watson asked. “Possibly. But is there a way to do it? Absolutely.

“I think one of the most important things for us is the integrity of the process. It’s so important to make sure that only United States citizens are voting our elections, to make sure that United States citizens are the ones that are in charge of this country.”

The bill now heads to the U.S. Senate.

Watson said nothing is going to happen before next month’s primary election.

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