Desantis Signs Florida's Version Of Save America Act, Draws Immediate Lawsuit

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed into law a sweeping new Florida election measure designed to mimic parts of the federal SAVE America Act that immediately drew a lawsuit from a coalition of voting and civil rights organizations.

The groups filed the federal lawsuit in Miami on Wednesday, though major provisions of the measure, including new proof of citizenship requirements and a ban on the use of student photo IDs for voting, will not take effect prior to the crucial 2026 midterms.

DeSantis, who has pushed a series of election law changes during his nearly eight years in office, including a stand-alone election crimes office, said, “This bill protects and expands integrity in our voter registration process.”

“Our constitution in the state of Florida says only American citizens are allowed to vote in our elections,” he added. “And so we need to make sure that that is the law.”

DeSantis, who expressed skepticism that the SAVE America Act would be passed by Congress, signed the measure at an event held in The Villages, a central Florida GOP stronghold. During the hourlong event, however, he did not comment on President Donald Trump’s freshly signed executive order designed to put new restrictions on mail-in voting that could potentially upend processes currently in place in the nation’s third-most-populous state.

It’s already illegal for noncitizens to vote in Florida, and in 2020 the prohibition was added to the state constitution. Florida — which has 13.3 million active registered voters — has found some examples of noncitizens voting.

The new law adds proof of citizenship requirements and increases the role of state agencies to confirm citizenship. Backers of the measure contend many Floridians would not be affected because roughly 99 percent of those with driver’s licenses are already compliant with REAL ID standards that require documentation such as birth certificates.

But opponents — who are now calling it the “show your papers” law — maintain the new requirements will ultimately lead to eligible voters being pushed off the voter rolls, including married women who have changed their names and older minority voters who were born in the South and may not have a birth certificate. The lawsuit filed Wednesday also questions whether it would affect Puerto Ricans born before 2010 who came to Florida following natural disasters such as Hurricane Maria.

The groups that challenged the law — the League of Women Voters of Florida, Florida Immigrant Coalition, Florida Rising, Common Cause, Hispanic Federation, and UnidosUS — contend the measure is unconstitutional and violates the First and 14th amendments. They said it will harm ongoing voter registration efforts by the groups.

Caren Short, director of legal and research at the League of Women Voters of the United States, said the new law is “based on xenophobic lies and disinformation. The Legislature’s failure to look out for constituents instead of legislators' own political interests will harm married women, naturalized citizens, young people, and many other eligible voters who do not have ready access to documents like passports or birth certificates.”

The Republican-controlled Florida Legislature passed the bill during its recently concluded session along partisan lines. The move came as Trump was pressuring Congress to pass the SAVE America Act and said it should be their top priority.

The new law does not make any changes to Florida’s excuse-free mail-in voting — which Trump and his family members used during a special election held last month in Palm Beach County. During debate over the bill, sponsor state Sen. Erin Grall said the state had already taken steps to “ensure integrity of our mail-in process.”

Trump signed an executive order late Tuesday that aims to put new restrictions in on mail-in voting and could potentially clash with Florida law. The order directs the Homeland Security Department, in conjunction with the Social Security Administration, to create an approved list of absentee voters. The U.S. Postal Service would be directed to only send mail-in ballots to voters on that list.

But the timeline outlined in the order includes potential deadlines for the approved list that may not mesh with Florida law. Florida, for example, allows people to register to vote up to 29 days before an election. Registered voters are allowed to request a mail-in ballot up to 12 days before Election Day. The order talks about states sending an approved list 60 days in advance of an election, although it does mention the possibility of creating a process to allow states to supplement that list.

A spokesperson for Secretary of State Cord Byrd did not have a response to questions about the executive order.

The new law could still impact Florida’s upcoming elections. It includes restrictions designed to crack down on party switchers, as well a new process that would make it clear that rival candidates could legally challenge whether someone met requirements to be on the ballot, including residency requirements. That idea was championed by independent state Sen. Jason Pizzo, who has questioned whether GOP gubernatorial candidate James Fishback is eligible to run. Unlike some of the other restrictions, that portion of the bill became effective the minute it was signed into law.

The law also requires candidates to say if they have dual citizenship and requires congressional candidates qualifying for the ballot to state in writing whether they intend to trade stocks while in office.

DeSantis, who noted Florida cannot ban the practice for its congressional delegation, called the stock trading provision “one of my favorites.”

“It’s gotten to the point where it has become a national farce,” DeSantis said of stock trading by members of Congress.