Citizenship voting requirement in SAVE America Act has no basis in the Constitution – and ignores precedent that only states decide who gets to vote

Trump and MAGA Republicans want to make it as hard as possible to vote

John J. Martin, Quinnipiac University

The Republican-led House of Representatives voted Feb. 11, 2026 to approve the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act – or SAVE America Act. The bill would require individuals to provide proof of citizenship when they register to vote and present photo identification when they do vote in federal elections.

This marks the third year in a row that the House has passed similar legislation. Passage in the Senate, which would require Democratic votes, continues to appear unlikely. But Republicans from Donald Trump on down are clearly interested in finding ways to enhance election security – although critics contend the SAVE America Act would unfairly disenfranchise millions of citizens.

The SAVE America Act would require anyone registering to vote in federal elections to first “provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship” in person, such as a passport or birth certificate.

The new version goes further than its predecessor by requiring many individuals voting in federal elections to present photo identification at the polls indicating proof of U.S. citizenship.

Voting rights experts and advocacy organizations have detailed how the legislation could suppress voting. In part, they say it would particularly create barriers in low-income and minority communities. People in such communities often lack the forms of ID acceptable under the SAVE America Act for a variety of reasons, including socioeconomic factors.

As of now, at least 9% of voting-age American citizens – approximately 21 million people – do not even have driver’s licenses, let alone proof of citizenship. In spite of this, many legislators support the bill as a means of eliminating noncitizen voting in elections.

As a legal scholar who studies, among other things, foreign interference in elections, I find considerations about the potential effects of the SAVE America Act important, especially given how rare it is that a noncitizen actually votes in federal elections.

Yet, it is equally crucial to consider a more fundamental question: Is the SAVE America Act even constitutional?

How Will the Billionaires React If Trump Cancels the 2026 Elections?

Trump is hinting he might do what many fear

Dean Baker in Beat the Press

The lack of market reaction to the news that Trump ordered his Justice Department to investigate criminal charges against Fed Chair Jerome Powell surprises many people. 

After all, everyone knows that the claims about cost overruns being the basis for the investigation is nonsense. Trump wants to threaten Powell with criminal charges because he ignored Trump’s demand that he lower interest rates.

This ordinarily would be seen as a very big deal. Ever since Nixon, presidents have been reluctant to be seen as pressuring the Fed. In fact, their concern on this issue often seemed absurd to my view. President Biden didn’t want his Council of Economic Advisors to even comment on interest rate policy, as though giving a view based on the economic data would be undue pressure.

But there is a big difference between presenting an economic argument and threatening to imprison a Fed chair who disagrees. And we now see which side Trump comes down on.

But apparently, the markets are just fine with this new threat. The major stock indexes all rose on Monday, although bond prices fell slightly, pushing long-term rates higher. The dollar also fell modestly.

Can't imagine why

Another Trump patriot

URI music ensembles commence spring performance schedule on Feb. 22

Concert slate will also include special jazz performance featuring URI alumni

James Bessette 

The University of Rhode Island Jazz Big Band will perform during
the Voices in Jazz festival March 5 and will hold a special
concert on April 25 where for the first time University alumni
will take the stage with the band for an all-star show—all at the
URI Fine Arts Center Concert Hall. (URI Photo/Nora Lewis)

The University of Rhode Island Concert Band and Wind Ensemble both intend to send audiences into unique musical mindsets on Sunday, Feb. 22, at 3 p.m. to help kick off the Music Department’s spring semester concert schedule.

The Wind Ensemble and Concert Band, under the direction of URI Director of Bands Brian Cardany, will take the stage at the URI Fine Arts Center Concert Hall, 105 Upper College Road, on the Kingston Campus. The Wind Ensemble concert will center around the theme, “Atmospheres,” set to transport audiences into an aesthetic world.

Pieces to be performed for “Atmospheres” are “Steampunk Suite” by Erika Svanoe, “Diamond Tide” by Viet Cuong, “Catalyst” by Adrian Sims, and “Wild Nights” by Frank Ticheli.

The Concert Band will perform “Liberty Bell” by John Philip Sousa, “Mystery on Mena Mountain” by Julie Giroux, and Steven Reineke’s “Into the Raging River.” Victor Sanchez, a URI graduate assistant, will conduct the Concert Band’s rendition of David Holsinger’s “A Childhood Hymn.”

The Wind Ensemble and Concert Band will also perform live on Sunday, April 26, at 3 p.m. at the Fine Arts Center. Details of that show will be unveiled at a later date.

The annual Voices in Jazz festival will be kicked off by the URI Jazz Big Band, directed by URI Director of Jazz Studies Emmett Goods, on Thursday, March 5, at 8 p.m. at the URI Concert Hall. This year’s festival will welcome guest composer Le’Andra McPhatter, a jazz pianist and organist who founded the Journey Music Academy and Journey Online organizations to cultivate the next generation of musicians.

A President's Day protest in Wakefield with South County Resistance

Just what the Founders would have wanted

Steve Ahlquist

Various Presidents

South County Resistance hosted a President’s Day protest in Wakefield that marched from the intersection of the bike path and Main Street to downtown, where over 100 people gathered at all four corners holding signs and joining in song with Singing Resistance.

The theme of the protest and march was “President’s Day Legacy - From Statesmen to Stooge.” Among the marchers were people dressed as Presidents George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Donald Trump. President Trump was dressed in a prison jumpsuit.

Here’s the video:

Meera Raphael, singer, songwriter, and worship leader in Peacedale, is one of the organizers for Singing Resistance. She led the group in songs that originated on the streets of Minneapolis, from the Peace Poets and resistance movements across the country. These songs, said Raphael, are meant to “nurture the spirit of peace, love, solidarity, and unity.”

“We need to stand together and come together,” said Raphael. “It’s the only way we’re going to get through this… we need more music. Music brings us together and brings harmony in a world full of dissonance.”

Here’s all the video of Singing Resistance: