Florida and Mississippi governors sign proof-of-citizenship voting bills

Key Points:

• Florida and Mississippi governors signed laws requiring documented proof of citizenship to register to vote, initiating processes to unenroll voters lacking such documentation; these laws join similar measures passed earlier this year in South Dakota and Utah.
• Florida’s law mandates state review of voter registrations against citizenship records, with non-compliant voters contacted and potentially removed, and modifies acceptable voter ID types effective January 2027; South Dakota’s law will take effect before the November midterms.
• Mississippi’s Shield Act requires voter registration verification against driver’s license data and federal citizenship databases, aiming to remove non-citizen voters, with Governor Reeves framing the law as defending election integrity against illegal voting.
• Additional states like Louisiana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, and Kansas are enacting or proposing similar proof-of-citizenship and stricter voter ID laws, many facing ongoing legal challenges.
• President Trump has issued an executive order to restrict mail ballots to verified voters and is considering further orders aligned with the stalled Save America Act, though such executive actions face constitutional challenges and potential court battles over federal versus state election authority.