The House GOP is pushing strict citizenship proof requirements for voters ahead of the midterm elections

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans rushed to approve legislation Wednesday that would impose strict new requirements for proof of citizenship before the midterm elections, a long-shot priority of the Trump administration that faces a sharp setback in the Senate.

The bill, called the American Voter Eligibility Protection Act, or the Save America Act, requires Americans to prove they are citizens when they register to vote, often through a valid U.S. passport or birth certificate. It will also require a valid photo ID before voters can cast a ballot, which some states already require. It was approved by a party-line vote, 218-213.

Read more: What to know about how the Save America Act could change voting

Republicans have said the legislation is necessary to prevent voter fraud, but Democrats warn it will disenfranchise millions of Americans by making it more difficult to vote. Federal law already requires that voters in national elections be US citizens, but there is no requirement to provide documentary proof. Voter fraud is extremely rare, and only a very small number of noncitizens slip through the cracks, experts said. Less than one in 10 Americans does not have papers proving they are a citizen.

“Some of my colleagues will call this voter suppression or Jim Crow 2.0,” Rep. Brian Steele, Republican of Wisconsin, said as he introduced the package at a committee hearing.

But he said “these allegations are false,” and said the bill is necessary to enforce existing laws, especially those that prevent immigrants who are not citizens from voting. “The current law is not strong enough,” he said.

Electoral turmoil casts a shadow over the vote

The GOP’s surprise push to change voting rules at the start of the midterm election season raises concerns, especially since President Donald Trump has signaled a desire to nationalize U.S. elections, which, under the Constitution, are designed to be run by individual states.

The Trump administration recently confiscated ballots in Georgia for the 2020 election, which the president insists he won despite his defeat to Democrat Joe Biden. The Justice Department is demanding voter rolls from states, including Michigan, where a federal judge this week dismissed the department’s lawsuit to obtain voter files. Secretaries of state have raised concerns that voters’ personal data could be shared with the Department of Homeland Security for citizenship verification, and that could lead to people being illegally removed from the rolls.

“Let me be clear about what this is about: It’s about Republicans trying to rig the upcoming election,” Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the Rules Committee, said during a hearing before the vote. “Republicans are pushing the Save America Act because they want fewer Americans to vote. It’s that simple.”

The legislation is actually a reworking of a similar bill approved by the House last year, which also sought to clamp down on fraudulent voting, especially among noncitizens. It won the support of four Democrats in the House of Representatives, but faltered in the Republican-led Senate. Only one Democrat, Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas, voted for the amended bill.

This version tightens some requirements further, while creating a process for those whose names may have changed, especially during marriage, to file the necessary paperwork and further prove their identity.

It also requires states to share their voter information with the Department of Homeland Security, as a way to verify the citizenship of names on voter rolls. This has drawn opposition from election officials as a potential intrusion into people’s privacy.

Warnings from state election officials

The new rules in the bill would take effect immediately, if the bill is approved by both chambers of Congress and signed into law.

But with the primary election starting next month, critics said the abrupt shift would be difficult for state election officials to implement and might confuse voters.

Voting experts have warned that more than 20 million voting-age U.S. citizens do not have readily available proof of their citizenship. Nearly half of Americans do not have a US passport.

“Election Day is fast approaching,” said Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski. “Imposing new federal requirements now, when states are deep in their preparations, would negatively impact election integrity by forcing election officials to scramble to adhere to new policies potentially without the necessary resources.”

The next battle is in the Senate

In the Senate, where Republicans also hold majority control, there does not appear to be enough support to push the bill past the chamber’s filibuster rules, which largely require 60 votes to advance legislation.

This frustration has prompted some Republicans, led by Senator Mike Lee of Utah, to push for a process that would pass the 60-vote threshold in this case, allowing the bill to be discussed through a so-called permanent filibuster – a process that would open the door to endless debate.

Lee raised the issue before GOP senators at a closed-door lunch this week, and some said afterward that they were considering the concept.

“I think most people’s minds are open,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. “My mind is certainly open.”

But Alaska’s Murkowski said she strongly opposes the legislation.

“Not only does the U.S. Constitution clearly give states the authority to regulate the ‘times, places and manner’ of federal elections, but one-size-fits-all mandates from Washington, D.C., rarely work in places like Alaska,” she added.

The bill adds many requirements for state and local election officials without additional funding, said Karen Brinson Bell of AdvanceElections, a nonpartisan consulting firm.

“Election officials have a simple request from Congress: that you help share their burdens, not add to them,” she said.

Associated Press writer Kevin Freking contributed to this report.