Twenty-one percent said they oppose it. But the largest group, a 42 percent plurality, said they neither support nor oppose the bill or were unsure, according to a new survey from POLITICO and Public First, an independent polling company based in London.
President Donald Trump has made the SAVE America Act a central Republican priority ahead of the midterms, casting its fate in stark terms. “We are either going to fix” elections, he wrote on his Truth Social platform, “or we won’t have a Country any longer.” Yet the polling suggests that despite the president’s pressure campaign on Republican lawmakers, the legislation has not broken through to a skeptical electorate.
The bill would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote, mandate that states regularly review voter lists and remove non-citizens, and impose new restrictions on mail-in registration. While requiring proof of citizenship generated broad support, that backing was not overwhelming. Seventy-five percent of Trump 2024 voters backed the measure, but only 42 percent of voters who supported former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 agreed.
Democrats in particular oppose much of the SAVE Act, and many are unenthusiastic even about the voter ID provisions that generate the widest appeal. The partisan divide signals that Trump is prioritizing legislation with little crossover appeal, even as he works to rally his base ahead of the midterm elections.
Asked whether the bill would make elections fairer or less fair, 38 percent of Americans said it would make elections fairer, while 32 percent said it would make them less fair. But 30 percent said they did not know, a further indication that public opinion on the sweeping elections bill is still forming.
Voter ID Popular, Full Package Less So
The findings reveal a gap between support for individual components and support for the legislation as a whole. “Voter ID is very popular, but the SAVE Act has been loaded up with other stuff,” said Buzz Brockway, a Republican strategist and former state representative in Georgia. “I think Senate Republicans should strip the bill back to Voter ID only. It still won’t pass because of Democratic opposition, but it would be a more popular bill.”
The survey results underscore the challenge facing Republican leaders as they attempt to turn the SAVE America Act into a winning campaign issue. With a plurality of Americans still undecided or indifferent, the legislation has yet to generate the kind of clear public mandate that might force Democratic defections or sway swing voters.
