(Washington, D-C;  Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Iowa’s U.S. House delegation all voted this week in favor of legislation requiring states to obtain U.S. citizenship proof from people registering to vote in federal elections.

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act passed the House Thursday on a 220-208 vote, largely along party lines, with four Democrats supporting the measure. Iowa’s four U.S. representatives, all Republicans, voted in support of the measure that would require people present proof of their U.S. citizenship to register to vote. Accepted documents would include photo IDs issued by federal, state or tribal governments that show a person was born in the U.S. like U.S. passports, or documents like a birth certificate or certificate of naturalization.

Voting in U.S. elections is already illegal for those who are not U.S. citizens. But members of Iowa’s federal delegation said the measure will prevent non-citizens from participating in elections — a common talking point for conservatives, including President Donald Trump, when questioning the integrity of American elections. The bill was passed weeks after Trump signed an executive order requiring citizenship proof for voter registration.

Voters cast their ballots Nov. 5, 2024 at the Redfield American Legion in Redfield, Iowa. (Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Rep. Randy Feenstra said the bill will help ensure election integrity. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who cosponsored the earlier version of the bill passed by the House in 2024, said in a news release that the bill guarantees “American elections should be decided by American citizens.” The federal legislation comes as Iowa state lawmakers sent a bill to the governor allowing the Secretary of State’s office to contract with federal and state agencies, as well as private entities, to confirm U.S. citizenship status of people on Iowa’s voter rolls, and that would allow voters to be challenged at the polls on their citizenship status.

Democrats have criticized the measure, stating that instances of non-citizens illegally voting in U.S. elections are rare, but that the proof of citizenship requirements will cause problems for many legal U.S. citizens who are eligible to vote — including married women who have changed their last name but not yet updated their name on legal documents. The measure must pass the U.S. Senate before heading to Trump.