House Republicans on Thursday proposed sweeping federal election changes, which include mandatory photo ID and citizenship verification when registering to vote.
The legislation, titled the Make Elections Great Again Act, was unveiled by Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., chair of the House Administration Committee, and represents the most comprehensive GOP election integrity push of this Congress.
Republicans say the bill is aimed at restoring voter confidence after years of controversy surrounding election administration, particularly following the 2020 presidential race.
"Americans should be confident their elections are being run with integrity — including commonsense voter ID requirements, clean voter rolls, and citizenship verification," Steil said in a statement, The Hill reported.
"These reforms will improve voter confidence, bolster election integrity, and make it easy to vote, but hard to cheat."
At the core of the proposal is a nationwide photo ID requirement for voting in federal elections and a mandate that states verify U.S. citizenship when individuals register to vote.
Republicans argue these measures are long overdue safeguards that mirror standards already used for activities such as boarding airplanes or opening bank accounts.
The bill also addresses several election practices that became flashpoints during the 2020 election.
Under the MEGA Act, mail-in ballots would be required to arrive by the close of polls on Election Day to be counted, with an exception for military members stationed overseas.
Currently, several states accept ballots days after Election Day, a process critics say delays results and undermines public trust.
The legislation also would require states to use auditable paper ballots in federal elections, strengthen routine voter roll maintenance, and ban universal mail-in voting systems by requiring voters to affirmatively request absentee ballots.
The measure would crack down on so-called ballot harvesting by limiting who can collect and return completed ballots. Only immediate family members or caregivers would be allowed to do so, and no individual could return more than four ballots at a time.
Republicans further included a ban on ranked-choice voting in federal elections and a prohibition on federal agencies using taxpayer dollars to promote voter registration, a practice conservatives have labeled "BidenBucks," referring to a 2021 executive order signed by former President Joe Biden.
The bill has drawn praise from election integrity advocates nationwide.
Scott Presler, founder of Early Vote Action, said the reforms are essential to preserving a free republic.
"Without fair elections, we aren’t a free nation," he said, The Hill reported.
The MEGA Act was unveiled one day after Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said another GOP-backed election bill — the SAVE Act, which also requires proof of citizenship to vote — will come to the Senate floor at some point.
While the legislation is expected to advance through the House, it faces a tougher path in the Senate, where it would need 60 votes to overcome a filibuster.
Still, Republicans say the effort sends a clear message ahead of the midterm elections: election integrity remains a top priority.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.