Florida will require immigration status to be displayed on state driver's licenses and ID cards beginning next year under legislation signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this month.
A key provision of the state's new SAVE Act streamlines verification by requiring immigration status to appear on identification cards newly issued or renewed starting Jan. 1, 2027.
"Today, I signed the election integrity bill, also known as the Florida SAVE Act," DeSantis said in a statement. "This legislation strengthens the security, transparency, and reliability of Florida's election system."
Florida law already mandates that individuals prove citizenship status when applying for a driver's license. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles requires applicants to present primary identification — such as a birth certificate, U.S. passport, certificate of naturalization, or certificate of citizenship — along with proof of a Social Security number and proof of residence.
Voters in Florida are also already required to present identification at the polls.
The measure is widely viewed as Florida's version of the federal SAVE America Act, which has faced opposition from Democrats and left-leaning groups who argue it could make voting more difficult for some populations.
Supporters counter that provisions such as proof of citizenship for voter registration, voter ID requirements, and limits on universal mail-in voting help safeguard election integrity.
Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams has denounced such measures, calling them "voter suppression."
"These more restrictive policies all come together to make it harder for average people to be heard," Abrams said on MS Now.
"If you're a senior, if you're rural, if you're disabled, if you're a student, if you're a person of color — those are five populations that, when these bills and these rules and these executive orders come to fruition, shave enough points off of elections that Republican authoritarians can gain the outcome," she explained.
Critics in Florida have also raised privacy concerns. Thomas Kennedy, a policy analyst with the Florida Immigrant Coalition, said the requirement could expose sensitive personal information.
"First and foremost, it's an invasion of privacy," Kennedy said, according to WINK News. "Think about the day-to-day instances where you use an ID, whether you go to a restaurant or a bar or the movies or any sort of administrative dealing."
According to the governor's office, the SAVE Act also mandates verification of U.S. citizenship by "using REAL ID data for new and updated voter registrations," requires paper ballots, and "enhances coordination between state and local agencies to identify potentially ineligible voters."
"Safeguarding the electoral process to improve oversight and prevent unlawful influence has been a top priority for my administration since my first days in office," DeSantis said. "In Florida, we will always stand up for election integrity."
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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