Florida Enacts SAVE Act, Requiring Driver’s Licenses To Include Citizenship Status

The state's version of the SAVE Act could prompt discrimination toward immigrations.

The Florida SAVE Act is now an official state law, with Governor Ron DeSantis signing the bill this month.

DeSantis legalized Florida’s take on voter eligibility April 1. The new law is an iteration of the Trump-supported federal bill, which Congress remains in a standstill about in the government shutdown.

For the upcoming midterm elections, Floridians will see new provisions for voter registration and ID requirements. According to WINK News, new licenses will include one’s citizenship status, appearing on all new and renewed forms of the identification starting next January.

Before the bill’s signing, Florida voters could use various forms of identification to cast their ballot. This included student IDs and other IDs that showed one’s picture. Now, poll workers must verify citizenship through documents brought in by voters or a database check.

This documentation includes a birth certificate or passport to prove one’s U.S. citizenship, as well as Social Security and proof of residence. For immigrant Florida voters, the requirements are even stricter, with this demographic needing a judge’s order as well.

If records do not confirm one’s citizenship status, voters can only cast a provisional ballot. However, in order for one’s vote to officially count in elections, they must still provide applicable documents for eligibility later.

Voting rights groups have spoken out against the Florida SAVE Act, noting the voter disenfranchisement concerns. Many demographics, particularly older citizens and people of color, lack the documents needed to confirm citizenship.

Systemic, racial, and monetary barriers have prevented many from owning such legal papers. Local naysayers have also deemed the law an “invasion of privacy,” which could result in discrimination against immigrants.

“First and foremost, it’s an invasion of privacy,” said Thomas Kennedy, a policy analyst with the Florida Immigrant Coalition. “Think about the day-to-day instances where you use an ID, whether you go to a restaurant or a bar or the movies or any sort of administrative dealing.”

Despite the backlash, Florida has opted to move forward with citizenship-verified voter regulations within its state lines. Although DeSantis remains confident in the new verification procedure, the FIC and ACLU have filed complaints against the legislation.