What is the SAVE America Act? Here's what to know about the GOP elections bill

Washington — A new Republican push to pass an elections-related bill known as the SAVE America Act is underway in Congress, as Democrats warn the proposal could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters.

Washington — A new Republican push to pass an elections-related bill known as the SAVE America Act is underway in Congress, as Democrats warn the proposal could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters.

Titled the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE America Act, the bill would require Americans to show proof of citizenship in person to register to vote in federal elections, and implement photo ID requirements for voting.

Though the legislation is aimed at preventing noncitizens from casting ballots, some experts have argued that the bill would have implications for millions of Americans who don't have access to certain documents, like a passport or their birth certificate, or who have changed their names. 

Republicans in Congress have tried to get iterations of the measure passed through both chambers for years. The House has passed earlier versions of the SAVE America Act twice, but the effort hasn't gone anywhere in the Senate — where a 60-vote threshold for advancing most legislation makes passing partisan bills much more difficult.

"As much as this bill seeks to protect against a nearly non-existent problem (non-citizen voting), in service of conspiracy theories, what's truly ironic is that the bill could have a far more detrimental effect on Republican voters, who often lack the multiple documents (particularly passports) at much higher rates than Democrats," said David Becker, a CBS News election law contributor and executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research.