Susan Collins Makes a Decision on the SAVE Act

In an exclusive comment to The Maine Wire on Friday, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) announced that she will support the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE America Act, that requires individuals to provide documentary proof of United States citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections, as well as provide provide an approved ID when casting a ballot.

The latest version of the bill passed in the House of Representatives, 218-213, this week, with only one Democrat voting for it, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Tex.).

Collins opposed a previous version that would require voters to prove citizenship every time they cast a ballot, and said that the latest version meets a good balance between election security and ensuring voter access.    

"The law is clear that in this country only American citizens are eligible to vote in federal elections," the senator said. "In addition, having people provide an ID at the polls, just as they have to do before boarding an airplane, checking into a hotel, or buying an alcoholic beverage, is a simple reform that will improve the security of our federal elections and will help give people more confidence in the results."  

She added, "Requiring voters to produce passports or birth certificates on election day — as opposed to just a state-issued ID — would have placed an unnecessary burden on the voters. That provision is no longer in the bill and dropping this requirement was key to getting my support."   

Collins' support, as The Maine Wire reports, "comes with a caveat." That's preserving the Senate filibuster.

"I oppose eliminating the legislative filibuster," she said. "The filibuster is an important protection for the rights of the minority party, that requires Senators to work together in the best interest of the country. Removing that protection would, for example, allow a future Congress controlled by Democrats to pass provisions on anything they want — DC Statehood, open borders, or packing the Supreme Court — with just a simple majority of Senators." 

🚨 I’m thrilled to receive the news that Senator Susan Collins has announced her support for the SAVE America Act!🚨

This is huge! pic.twitter.com/PxAvRD2C5N

— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) February 13, 2026

With Collins now a "yea," the Republicans claim they have 50 votes, and with Vice President JD Vance breaking the tie on procedural steps, the act could advance to debate and potentially pass on a simple majority, but it remains vulnerable to a Democratic filibuster, requiring 60 votes for cloture. 

The SAVE America Act is wildly popular with voters. According to the Pew Research Center, 83% of Americans approve of requiring a government-issued photo ID to vote, while only 16% oppose the idea. That includes 95% of Republicans who agree that it should be a requirement, and 71% of Democrats.  

Gallup polling suggests those numbers are even higher with 84% of Americans supporting requiring government-issued ID to vote, including 98% of Republicans, 84% of Independents, and 67% of Democrats.  

Despite this, almost all Democrats and a couple of Republicans still refuse to support it. Many say that Collins, who is up for reelection this year, changed her mind due to grassroots efforts from voters throughout the country. 

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