The Legislature has approved a sweeping and controversial overhaul of Florida’s election procedures after the House agreed to a Senate rewrite of HB 991, sending the measure to Gov. Ron DeSantis just one day before the end of the Legislative Session.
The proposal expands citizenship verification for voter registration, tightens candidate qualification rules and revises what forms of identification voters may present at the polls.
The Senate passed the amended bill on a 27–12 vote earlier on Thursday, replacing much of the House language with provisions drawn from Vero Beach Republican Sen. Erin Grall’s election proposal (SB 1334). The House then approved the revised bill 77–28 following a series of failed amendments introduced by Democratic lawmakers.
Fort Myers Republican Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, who sponsored HB 991, told members the legislation is Florida’s version for the federal Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act.
“Today Florida continues to lead the nation in election integrity as we pass our version of the SAVE Act, and I ask for your favorable support,” Persons-Mulicka said.
Under the measure, Florida’s online voter registration system would compare applicants’ identifying information against records maintained by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV). If those records show documentation proving U.S. citizenship, the applicant’s citizenship status would be recorded in the statewide voter registration system.
If records show proof of citizenship is not on file, the application would be forwarded to the county Supervisor of Elections for further review. Supervisors would then verify citizenship status using available state and federal records and document the type of evidence used to confirm eligibility.
The legislation also formally defines which documents qualify as proof of U.S. citizenship. Acceptable records would include certified birth certificates, valid U.S. passports, naturalization certificates, Consular Reports of Birth Abroad and certain government-issued identification indicating citizenship.
Applicants whose legal name differs from the name appearing on citizenship documentation would be required to provide additional records verifying the name change. Another provision requires applicants to acknowledge during the voter registration process that falsely affirming U.S. citizenship constitutes a third-degree felony under state and federal law.
The measure also directs DHSMV to include a person’s legal citizenship status on Florida driver licenses and identification cards beginning Jan. 1, 2027.
Beyond voter registration, the legislation revises the types of identification voters may present at polling places. Current Florida law allows voters to use student identification cards and retirement facility identification cards as photo ID. The bill removes both from the list of acceptable identification.
Under the revised list, voters could present identification such as a Florida driver license, U.S. passport, military identification, a Veteran Health Identification Card issued by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, a concealed weapon or firearm license, or an employee identification card issued by a federal, state, county or municipal government entity.
Supporters say the changes are designed to modernize Florida’s election system and close gaps in how citizenship is verified during voter registration. Democratic opponents have criticized new restrictions that would ban the use of student ID’s, as well as other alternative forms of identification such as retirement home ID’s, to vote. Grall argued during Senate debate that those forms of ID are not secure.
“When you take away student ID’s, you’re taking away a pathway for students to vote,” Orlando Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani said. “We’ve passed many bills off this floor that have to do with free speech, that have to do with censoring speech, that have to do with activities on a college campus, we should make it easier for students to exercise their ability to choose their representatives. By taking away student IDs as a use of verification at the polling location we are intentionally making it harder for students to vote, and there’s no way you can sugarcoat that. That’s just what the intention is.”
The proposal also establishes new eligibility rules for candidates seeking to qualify for office. Under the bill, candidates running under a political party would have to have been registered members of that party for at least 365 consecutive days before the start of the qualifying period, and candidates who changed their name through Florida’s general name-change petition process within the previous year would be prohibited from qualifying. Exceptions are included for name changes related to marriage, divorce or adoption.
The legislation also would create a statutory process allowing candidates or political parties to challenge whether a candidate meets eligibility requirements for office. Those challenges could be filed in circuit court.
Democrats attempted to amend the measure to restore student identification cards as acceptable voter ID, soften some of the new citizenship verification requirements, and remove restrictions affecting certain candidates seeking to qualify for office. Republican lawmakers rejected the proposals largely along party lines.
The measure will head to the Governor for final approval with just one day left in the regular 2026 Legislative Session. If signed or allowed to become law, several provisions — including the new candidate qualification rules, party swaps and the candidate challenge process — would take effect immediately upon becoming law. Other election administration changes, such as the requirement for driver licenses and identification cards to display citizenship status, would take effect Jan. 1.
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