发布时间：2026年3月12日，美国东部时间凌晨5:00
作者：[Tierney Sneed]、[Fredreka Schouten]
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与会者聆听德克萨斯州共和党众议员奇普·罗伊在华盛顿特区美国国会大厦外的上参议院公园举行的“只有公民投票”巴士游行集会上，就通过《SAVE法案》发表讲话。
Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
这项被唐纳德·特朗普总统列为首要任务的联邦选举改革法案在参议院面临近乎不可能的通过几率，但白宫却坚持要求共和党人在法案中加入更多有争议的条款，使得《SAVE America法案》更难通过。
上月在众议院通过的版本——重点是为投票增加严格的新身份和公民身份证明要求——预计不会获得参议院批准，因为共和党人缺乏消除阻挠议事规则所需的票数，而阻挠议事规则允许民主党少数派阻止该法案。
但特朗普加倍施压，命令共和党人加入终止无理由邮寄投票这一普遍做法的条款，并针对那些对共和党人而言已成为文化战争有效战斗但与选举运作无关的跨性别政策。
如果当前版本的法案或特朗普现在追求的空中楼阁式版本成为法律，将对今年的中期选举造成重大干扰。（根据《SAVE America法案》的早期草案，部分条款原本要到明年才生效，但众议院对法案的最后一刻修改使这些要求在法案颁布后立即生效）
选举专家表示，有记录的选民欺诈案例——尤其是非公民投票——极为罕见。例如，倾向保守的传统基金会的欺诈案例数据库显示，2000年至2025年间，非公民不当投票的例子不到100起。
目前，各州自行尝试实施公民身份证明要求的只能用于州和地方选举，因此联邦立法的支持者表示，这是一个急需的修复，使各州能够在各级选举中执行这些要求。批评者则称，该立法给选民带来了不必要的负担，要求他们出示数百万美国人难以获取的文件才能行使选举权。
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2024年11月3日，密歇根州兰辛市的一个投票站，选民在提前投票的最后一天投票。
Carlos Osorio/Reuters/File
当前条款
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公民身份证明
个人在登记投票时必须亲自向选举官员出示证明其公民身份的文件，如出生证明、美国护照或入籍证明。在诸如婚姻等情况下（出生证明上的姓名与选民当前姓名不符），选民登记申请者可提交额外文件解释差异。
根据研究选举问题的左倾智库布伦南中心和其他组织进行的调查，超过2100万原本有资格投票的选民无法轻易获取这些公民身份文件。
该法案的支持者认为，机场所需的REAL ID等证件足以满足公民身份文件要求。但这仅适用于少数颁发REAL ID且注明公民身份的州。
目前，选民只需宣誓（在伪证处罚下）证明自己是美国公民即可。
选民登记
该法案将使人们通过在线或邮寄方式登记变得复杂，因为使用这些登记方式的人仍需亲自到选举办公室出示公民身份证明。
推动该法案的诚实选举项目负责人杰森·斯尼德辩称，“绝大多数人已经通过车管所亲自登记投票”，因此这一额外步骤对大多数选民不会构成负担。不过，这将限制选举前突出的选民登记活动。
选民身份要求
该法案要求选民在联邦选举中出示“有效照片身份证明”。可接受的身份证明包括州颁发的驾照、美国护照，以及颁发给军人和部落成员的证件。该法案不将学校和学院颁发的身份证件列为可接受的照片ID，批评者称这不公平地针对年轻选民。
申请邮寄投票的人需要在申请缺席选票和提交选票时都提交身份证件复印件，尽管部分选民有例外情况。
目前，美国尚无全国性的选民照片ID要求，尽管许多州要求某种形式的选民ID才能投票。
选民登记册数据库
该法案规定了各州必须采取的额外步骤，以将不符合资格的个人从国会和总统选举的选民名单中移除。
该措施敦促各州使用特朗普政府去年翻新的联邦公民身份核查工具以及其他数据库来核实选民资格。然而，通过该系统进行的一些州审计已错误地将合法选民标记为涉嫌非公民，数十名州一级的民主党官员抵制了联邦政府获取其州选民名单的努力。
这些选民登记册核查要求使得该法案的公民身份证明具有广泛的影响力。不仅新选民在登记时需要出示公民身份文件，那些在选民名单审查中公民身份受到质疑的当前登记选民也必须提供文件才能留在选民名单上。
对选举官员和非法登记选民的后果
该立法为违反法律的选举官员增加了新的处罚措施。如果他们登记了未满足法案公民身份证明要求的人，将面临刑事处罚。
该立法还试图赋予个人和团体对选举官员提起民事诉讼的权利，指控其登记了未出示公民身份证明的人。
此外，《SAVE America法案》将指示联邦政府调查并可能驱逐非法登记投票的非公民。
民主问题组织Issue One的政策主任迈克尔·麦克纳利表示，由于管理者面临的威胁和骚扰，选举办公室的人员流动率已经很高，这些额外的法律风险可能“加剧”人员流动。
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唐纳德·特朗普总统2月27日在德克萨斯州科珀斯克里斯蒂港举行的活动中发表讲话。
Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters
特朗普希望增加的内容：
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结束大多数邮寄投票
特朗普多次要求立法完全终止大多数邮寄投票。他表示，只有残疾、生病、服兵役或旅行的人才能被允许缺席投票。
根据全国州议会会议的数据，目前36个州和哥伦比亚特区允许无理由邮寄投票或完全通过邮寄进行选举。
由于邮寄投票在红蓝州都广泛使用，让共和党人统一支持终止大多数邮寄投票将面临挑战。另一项选举改革法案《让选举再次伟大法案》（包含一些特朗普希望的邮寄投票禁令）在众议院和参议院均未取得进展。
参议院多数党领袖约翰·图恩周三被问及特朗普终止大多数邮寄投票的提议时表示，“议员们对这一要求有疑问”。他说：“我理解他的热情”，并暗示一项限制第三方收集邮寄选票的更窄范围的提案会获得更多支持。
“一般来说，要求选票的人有合法理由这样做，我认为很多州都使用这个流程，而且使用得很好，”他说。
‘女性体育中没有男性’
特朗普表示，要在法案中加入禁止跨性别运动员参加与其性别认同相符的体育队的语言。
当被CNN问及该提案的具体内容时，白宫援引发言人卡罗琳·利维特的评论，称该法案“永久禁止男性参加女子体育比赛”。
禁止对未成年人的某些跨性别手术
特朗普还希望加入禁止“对我们的孩子进行跨性别 mutilation”的语言。他似乎针对与跨性别护理相关的手术。
尽管未成年人进行变性手术的情况非常罕见，但在一些州，跨性别未成年人可以获得激素治疗。
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参议院多数党领袖约翰·图恩3月11日在华盛顿特区美国国会大厦发表讲话后返回办公室，并与记者交谈。
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
当前进展
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本周，特朗普明确表示，他希望扩大该法案以推进其他优先事项。但即使是已在众议院通过的《SAVE America法案》版本，在参议院也面临难以逾越的障碍。
图恩本周表示，作为一名“清醒的现实主义者”，共和党人将没有足够的50票来废除阻挠议事规则——这一需要60票的程序性障碍允许民主党人阻止该法案。
为了避免完全结束阻挠议事规则的阻力，一些保守派支持者建议参议院可以迫使民主党人进行“冗长辩论”，理论上这会将法案的反对者置于不断在议院进行演讲以拖延法案的境地。然而，这一想法在共和党人中并未获得足够支持，因为它被视为实际上废除阻挠议事规则。
参议院领导层计划下周对该法案进行投票，但仍在制定程序上的具体安排，图恩本周向记者表示。
周三，特朗普被问及图恩对参议院投票问题的评估时表示：“嗯，他必须成为一名领导者。”
CNN的劳伦·福克斯、莎拉·费里斯和亚当·坎克林对本报道有贡献。
What’s in the ‘SAVE America Act’ and why is it so important to Donald Trump?
PUBLISHED Mar 12, 2026, 5:00 AM ET / By [Tierney Sneed], [Fredreka Schouten]
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Attendees listen to Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) speaking at an “Only Citizens Vote” bus tour rally on passing the SAVE Act at Upper Senate Park outside the US Capitol on September 10, 2025, in Washington, DC.
Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
The federal elections overhaul bill that’s a top priority for President Donald Trump already faced near-impossible odds in the Senate, but the White House is making the “SAVE America Act” even more difficult to pass by insisting that Republicans load it up with additional controversial provisions.
The version that passed the House last month – focused on adding strict new ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements for voting – is not expected to get the approval of the Senate because Republicans lack the votes to eliminate the filibuster, which allows the Democratic minority to block the bill.
But Trump has doubled down, commanding Republicans to add provisions that would end the widespread practice of no-excuse mail voting and target transgender policies that have been effective culture war fights for the GOP yet are unrelated to the running of elections.
If either the current iteration of the bill, or the pie-in-the-sky version Trump is now reaching for, were to become law, it would be a massive disruption for this year’s midterm elections. (Under an earlier draft of the “SAVE America Act” some of the provisions would have not taken effect until next year, but a last-minute change to the bill in the House makes those requirements take effect immediately upon enactment),
Election experts say documented cases of voter fraud – especially voting by non-citizens – are exceedingly rare. The right-leaning Heritage Foundation’s database of confirmed fraud cases, for instance, shows fewer than 100 examples of noncitizens improperly casting ballots between 2000 and 2025.
Currently, states that on their own are trying to implement proof of citizenship mandates for voting can only do so for state and local elections, so proponents of the federal legislation say it is a much-needed fix so states can enforce those requirements up and down the ballot. Critics say the legislation puts unnecessary burdens on voters, requiring them to present documents that millions of Americans don’t have easy access to in order to exercise the franchise.
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People cast their early ballots on the last day of early voting in Michigan at a polling station in Lansing, Michigan, on November 3, 2024.
Carlos Osorio/Reuters/File
Current provisions
Proof of Citizenship
Individuals would have to present to election officials in person documents proving their citizenship, such as a birth certificate, US passport or a naturalization certificate, to register to vote. In cases such as marriage – where the name on a birth certificate doesn’t match the voter’s current name – voter registration applicants would be allowed to submit additional documents that explain the discrepancy.
More than 21 million otherwise eligible voters do not have easy access to those citizenship documents, according to a survey conducted by the Brennan Center, a left-leaning think tank that researches election issues, and other groups.
Supporters of the bill have argued that a REAL ID, such as those required at airports, would suffice for meeting the citizenship document requirement. However, that is only true for the handful of states that issue REAL IDs that indicate a person’s citizenship.
Currently, voters simply sign an attestation, under penalty of perjury, that they are US citizens.
Voter registration
The bill would complicate a person’s ability to register online or by mail, because those using those registration methods would have to still go to their election office in person to show their proof of citizenship.
Jason Snead, a proponent of the bill who leads the Honest Elections Project, argued because an “overwhelming majority of people register to vote in person through the DMV already,” that extra step would not be a burden for most voters. Still, it would curtail the kinds of voter registration drives that are prominent in the lead-up to elections.
Voter ID requirement
The bill would require voters to present “valid photo identification” to cast a ballot in federal elections. Acceptable forms of ID include state-issued driver’s licenses, US passports, and those issued to military and tribal members. The bill does not include identification cards issued by schools and colleges among its acceptable photo IDs, which critics say unfairly targets younger voters.
People seeking to vote by mail would need to submit copies of their IDs both when they request an absentee ballot and when they submit it, though there are some exceptions for some voters.
Currently, there is no nationwide requirement for photo ID to vote, although many states mandate some form of voter ID to cast ballots.
Voter roll database
The bill sets out additional steps states would need to take to remove ineligible individuals from the lists of people who can vote in congressional and presidential elections.
The measure urges states to verify voters’ eligibility by using a federal citizenship-verification tool revamped last year by the Trump administration, as well as other databases. However, some state audits already conducted through that system have incorrectly tagged legitimate votes as suspected noncitizens, and dozens of Democratic officials at the state level have resisted the administration’s efforts to obtain lists of voters in their states.
Those voter roll verification mandates are why the bill’s proof of citizenship would have such a broad reach. Not only would new voters be required to show citizenship documents when they register, currently registered voters whose citizenship status was put into doubt by the voter list reviews would have to provide the documents as well to stay on the rolls.
Consequences for election officials and people unlawfully registered to vote
The legislation adds new penalties for election officials who run afoul of the law. They would face criminal penalties if they register a person to vote who has not met the bill’s proof of citizenship requirement.
The legislation also seeks to give private individuals and groups the ability to file civil lawsuits against election officials for registering people who have not shown proof of citizenship.
Additionally, the “SAVE America Act” would instruct the federal government to investigate and potentially deport non-citizens who have been unlawfully registered to vote.
There is already a high turnover rate in election offices because of the threats and harassment administrators face, said Michael McNulty, the policy director of Issue One, an organization focused on democracy. The additional legal risks could “exacerbate” that turnover.
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President Donald Trump delivers remarks during an event at the Port of Corpus Christi in Corpus Christi, Texas, on February 27.
Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters
What Trump wants added:
End most mail-in voting
Trump has repeatedly demanded that the legislation ends most mail-in voting altogether. He says that people should only be allowed to vote absentee if they’re disabled, ill, serving in the military, or are traveling.
Currently, 36 states and the District of Columbia allow either no-excuse mail voting or conduct their elections entirely by mail, according to the National Conference of State Legislators.
Given its widespread use in both red and blue states, getting Republicans united behind ending most mail voting would be a challenge. A separate elections overhaul bill, the “Make Elections Great Again Act,” which includes some mail-in voting prohibitions Trump wants has not advanced in either the House or Senate.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, asked Wednesday about Trump’s proposal to end most mail voting, said “there were questions” lawmakers were asking about the demand. “I understand his passion,” Thune said of Trump, and suggested a narrower proposal that would restrict the collection of mail ballots by third parties would have more support.
“As a general rule, people requesting ballots, and they’ve got legitimate reasons for requesting them, I think a lot of states use that process and use it pretty well,” he said.
‘No men in women sports’
Trump has said to add language in the legislation that would prohibit transgender athletes from playing on sports-teams aligned with their gender identity.
Asked by CNN for specifics on the proposal, the White House pointed to comments by spokesperson Karoline Leavitt describing the legislation as “permanently” banning “men from competing in women’s sports.”
Ban on some transgender procedures for minors
Trump also wants language added that would ban “transgender mutilation of our children.” It appears he is taking aim at surgeries associated with transgender care.
It is already very rare for transgender minors to undergo surgical procedures, though in some states, trans minors can obtain hormonal treatments.
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Senate Majority Leader John Thune returns to his office after speaking on the Senate Floor and talking with reporters at the US Capitol on March 11, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The current state of play
This week, Trump made clear that he wants to expand the legislation to advance other priorities. But even the version of the “SAVE America Act” that already passed the House faces near-insurmountable roadblocks in the Senate.
Thune said this week that as a “clear-eyed realist,” Republicans would not have the 50 votes required to abolish the filibuster – the 60-vote procedural hurdle that allows Democrats to block the bill.
To get around the reluctance to end the filibuster altogether, some conservative advocates have suggested that the Senate could force Democrats to stage a “talking filibuster,” which would in theory put the onus on the legislation’s opponents to continually make floor speeches to stall the bill. However, that idea does not have enough buy-in among Republicans, as it’s seen as effectively nuking the filibuster.
Senate leadership is planning to put the legislation up for a vote next week but is still working out what the process looks like procedurally, Thune told reporters this week.
Trump was asked Wednesday about Thune’s assessment of the vote problems in the Senate.
“Well, he’s got to be a leader,” he said.
CNN’s Lauren Fox, Sarah Ferris and Adam Cancryn contributed to this report.