A piece of legislation headed for the U.S. Senate would change how voters exercise their constitutional right in federal elections.

While Republican lawmakers say the Save America Act aims to weed out non-citizens from attempting to cast a ballot, experts point out the problem is rare and the bill would make it harder for legal voters to cast a ballot.

"This would require people to provide proof of their citizenship at the time they register to vote and so it would make it incumbent upon states to make sure the people voting are eligible to vote," said Chris Bonneau, a political science professor at the University of Pittsburgh.

Bonneau says noncitizen voting hasn't been an issue, nor determined the outcome of any election.

In 2024, the Michigan Department of State did an audit of the general election to see how many illegal voters there were. That audit found 15 credible cases in 15.7 million total ballots cast. 

"That data is consistent with what other studies have found it's not really a problem," said Bonneau adding that the benefits of this legislation are small, and the potential costs are large. "In terms of disenfranchising voters and making it more difficult for people to their constitutional right to cast their vote," he added.

Bonneau says it could also turn eligible voters away. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, a voting rights organization, 21 million Americans don't have easy access to the documents this bill requires. In many cases, such as passports, there are fees.

"We know that then the cost of voting increases, people are less likely to participate," said Bonneau.

Congressman Dave Joyce, representing Ohio's 14th district, voted to move this legislation through the house.

"The vast majority of Americans agree that voter I-D should be required for federal elections," said Congressman Joyce, adding that this legislation would protect the integrity of those elections. "84 percent of Americans think this is a good idea," the congressman reiterated.

The republican lawmaker says it rounds out the rough edges of a previous bill, including guidance for individuals who get married and change their last name, different from the name on their birth certificate.

"This creates a way for which each state should accommodate that, expeditious fashion to make sure no one is denied the right to vote," said Congressman Joyce, adding that the bill would require every state to create an affidavit, and then the applicant would swear under the penalty of perjury that they are in fact a U.S. citizen.

Another concern that's been cited is that since poll workers could face criminal charges for not checking papers, but contains vague language, they may turn legal voters away out of fear.