Confused by the Flurry of Bills to "SAVE" America's Elections? Here's Your Guide!

By Kristine Christlieb, MFEI News & Commentary Editor

February 18, 2026

The push for stronger election integrity laws has accelerated dramatically since the 2024 election cycle, producing an array of related but distinct bills that even seasoned advocates are finding hard to track.

At the federal level are these iterations: the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, the SAVE America Act, (and its nickname SAVE Plus which keeps popping up), and finally, a newer comprehensive package called the Make Elections Great Again (MEGA) Act. And these are not to be confused with the SAVE system (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements), a U.S. Department of Homeland Security program that allows federal, state, and local agencies to verify the immigration or citizenship status of applicants for public benefits, licenses, and voter registration. 

Still with me?

Here in Michigan, we have the added complication of state-level, election integrity proposals, beginning with Rep. Bryan Posthumus’s (R-90th District) 2025 House Joint Resolution B to amend the state constitution with citizenship verification and stricter photo ID rules. The bill failed, receiving only 58 votes in the GOP-controlled Michigan House — well short of the two-thirds supermajority needed. Supporters of the resolution then pivoted to a ballot initiative which, for a time, was going head-to-head with a similar ballot initiative from Americans for Citizen Voting – Michigan. The Posthumus initiative has faded into the ether while Americans for Citizen Voting – Michigan claimed sufficient signatures in early February 2026. If enough of those signatures prove to be valid, the group’s proposal will be on the November ballot.

This rapid evolution of election integrity legislation — complete with rebrands, expansions, and overlapping provisions — creates a genuine fog, leaving grassroots volunteers, local groups, and everyday activists to sort out the differences.

Help is on the way . . . keep reading.

The Evolution of the SAVE Act Family

The core idea originated as a 2024 campaign-season proposal. The original SAVE Act (H.R. 8281 in the 118th Congress) was introduced by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) and focused on requiring documentary proof of U.S. citizenship for federal voter registration. The bill passed the House on July 10, 2024, but stalled in the Senate.

Post-election, with Republicans in control of the House, the bill was reintroduced as H.R. 22 on January 3, 2025, and passed the House again in spring 2025. This version also stalled in the Senate. But there was still momentum behind the legislation.

An enhanced version, the SAVE America Act was introduced January 30, 2026. This iteration retained the core focus on proof of citizenship at registration but added mandatory photo ID for voting in federal elections. Rep. Roy and supporters began referring to it as "SAVE Plus" or "SAVE Plus Voter ID" in interviews, press releases, and social media. The idea was to emphasize that the original SAVE secured voter registration, while the "plus" addressed voter identification risks at the ballot box. The "SAVE Plus" label helped rally support, but it also added to the array of similar-sounding bills.

The House passed the SAVE America Act on February 11, 2026, sending it to the Senate.

Enter the MEGA Act

To keep everyone on their toes . . . just days after the SAVE America Act was introduced for a vote, along comes House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil (R-WI) who rolls out the Make Elections Great Again (MEGA) Act on January 30, 2026. It is a far broader overhaul that overlaps with some of the SAVE America provisions but expands to address a range of other issues:

• Aggressive voter roll maintenance and purges of inactive/ineligible voters.

• Restrictions on mail-in voting.

• Bans on ballot harvesting, ranked-choice voting in federal races, and other practices seen as vulnerabilities.

• Stronger mandates for auditable paper ballots and federal enforcement tools.

MEGA aims to set a uniform national "baseline" for secure elections, arguing it makes voting "easy but hard to cheat." It builds on SAVE momentum but addresses a wider array of concerns beyond just citizenship and ID.

Why Both Approaches (and the "Plus" Upgrade) Are Needed

The original SAVE Act tackled the foundational issue of citizens-only registration. The "SAVE Plus" iteration (SAVE America Act) recognized that without valid identification, registration fixes alone still leave the system vulnerable. MEGA then extends the reforms to encompass the full election lifecycle, closing loopholes in mail voting, election data maintenance, and administration.

Several things have been documented over and over. The vast majority of Americans are in favor of citizen-only voting and voter photo identification. The SAVE America Act addresses both issues. The bill’s fate now lies with the U.S. Senate, and Chip Roy has a plan to get it passed.