US voter registration row simmers as SAVE Act stalls before midterms

A Senate decision on the SAVE America Act remains pending as the US nears midterm elections. The stalemate has sharpened a wider fight over voter access, identification rules and state control.Washington,Oct 3, 2026 14:46 ISTThe debate over a proposed law to change the voter registration process in the United States remains unresolved as the country moves towards the November 3 midterm elections, when all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 Senate seats will be contested. President Donald Trump has been pushing for changes, including a federal requirement for states to collect documentary proof of US citizenship from people registering to vote in federal elections.The proposed measure, called the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE America Act, seeks to amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to make such proof compulsory. The House passed the legislation in February, but its Senate version is still pending, leaving the issue unsettled ahead of the midterms.Unlike India, where elections are held under a largely uniform national framework, the US electoral system is run mainly by individual states. This means rules on voter registration, identification, voting and election administration differ from state to state. North Dakota is the only state that does not require voter registration, though eligible voters there must meet the state's residency and identification rules. Even so, several federal laws govern voter registration and protect voting rights across the country, including the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 and the Help America Vote Act of 2002.The Voting Rights Act bars racial discrimination in voting, while the National Voter Registration Act requires states covered by the law to make registration more accessible and sets rules for maintaining voter rolls. Signed into law by then president Bill Clinton in 1993, the law required states to offer voter registration through motor vehicle agencies and certain other designated agencies, and also laid down procedures for registration by post. It also sets rules for removing names from voter rolls. Names may be removed at a voter's request, under state law, after a criminal conviction or a determination of mental incapacity, or because the voter has died or moved outside the jurisdiction. In cases involving a change of residence, federal law requires election officials to follow specific notice and waiting-period procedures. Registration deadlines also vary across states. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 19 states and the District of Columbia allow voter registration on Election Day, while North Carolina and Montana allow same-day registration during early voting but not on Election Day. Overall, 24 states and the District of Columbia have some form of same-day or Election Day registration. Of these, 17 states and DC allow it throughout the early voting period and on Election Day, four allow it only on Election Day and three only during early voting. Two states allow same-day registration only for presidential elections. Online voter registration, first introduced by Arizona in 2002, is now available in 42 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and the US Virgin Islands.The SAVE America Act has also become part of a wider debate over voter identification and mail-in voting. Republican lawmakers have sought stricter identification rules, while Democrats have opposed the measures, saying they could make voting harder for some eligible voters. California, for example, sends ballots to all active registered voters, and ballots postmarked by Election Day can be received by county election officials up to seven days later and still be counted, subject to the state's other requirements. With the Senate yet to act on the bill, the wider debate over voter registration and voting rules remains open as the US heads into the midterm elections. With PTI Inputs- Ends