Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new election law Wednesday requiring proof of citizenship to vote and tightening voter ID rules, setting up a legal fight over access to the ballot.
The measure mirrors the federal SAVE America Act backed by President Donald Trump, which remains stalled in the Senate.
“This bill protects and expands integrity in our voter registration process,” DeSantis said. “Our Constitution in the state of Florida says only American citizens are allowed to vote in our elections, so we need to make sure that is the law.”
Most provisions will not take effect until after the midterm elections.
Supporters say the law reinforces election integrity by ensuring only eligible citizens can register and vote.
Opponents argue it risks disenfranchising eligible voters who may not have easy access to documents like birth certificates or citizenship papers.
Within hours, the League of Women Voters of Florida and other advocacy organizations filed a federal lawsuit to block the law, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union.
“We are most concerned about impact as it relates to the most vulnerable Florida voters,” said ACLU attorney Jonathan Topaz. “This could mean older Black voters who grew up in Jim Crow South who don’t have access to birth certificates, this could be naturalized citizens — we know naturalized citizens are flagged as noncitizens all the time.”
Watch the clips below:
🚨 BREAKING: Gov. Ron DeSantis just SIGNED INTO LAW Florida's SAVE America Act, which fortifies citizenship verification for voters, makes voter ID more strict, and sets PAPER as the default method of voting
LFG. Do this NATIONWIDE! Our US Senate should follow suit ☀️🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/2ogIBenUIf
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 1, 2026
🚨 BREAKING: Gov. Ron DeSantis just signed the Florida SAVE ACT and dropped this TRUTH NUKE for the rest of America to hear
"Our constitution in the state of Florida says only American CITIZENS are allowed to vote in our elections. So we need to make sure THAT IS THE LAW!"
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 1, 2026
