As of late April 2026, five Republican-led states—Florida, Mississippi, South Dakota, Utah and Kentucky—had enacted new laws tying voter registration or ballot access to documentary proof of U.S. citizenship, according to Voting Rights Lab, a nonprofit that tracks election legislation. The measures come amid broader Republican-backed efforts at the state and federal levels to add citizenship-verification steps to election administration.
Florida, Mississippi, South Dakota, Utah and Kentucky have enacted new voting-related laws that add citizenship-verification steps, though the specifics vary by state.
In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation requiring documentary proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration; the law is scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2027, and has already drawn legal challenges from voting rights groups.
Mississippi’s SHIELD Act was signed in early April 2026 and is slated to take effect July 1, 2026. The law expands procedures that can require applicants flagged by state or federal database checks to provide documentary proof of citizenship before their registration is accepted.
South Dakota enacted SB 175, which state and county election officials say took effect March 26, 2026. Under the state’s guidance, first-time registrants who do not provide proof of U.S. citizenship may be limited in what contests they can vote in, while already-registered voters are not required to re-submit proof.
Utah’s Legislature passed HB 209, which creates a two-track ballot system in which voters who do not provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship may be restricted to voting in federal contests.
In Kentucky, lawmakers approved HB 139, which establishes procedures for election officials to request and record citizenship documentation when a registrant is identified as a potential noncitizen through database information.
Separately, a growing number of states are exploring or expanding the use of federal Department of Homeland Security systems—most notably the SAVE program run by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services—to verify citizenship for voter registration and voter-list maintenance. DHS warns that a “no match” response based on Social Security Administration data alone should not be used to deny registration or remove someone from the rolls.
The new state laws are unfolding alongside federal debate over the proposed Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.
