# Senate blocks Trump voting bill amid split in GOP ranks  
**Published:** 2026-06-05T18:34:38.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/05/repub/us-senate-blocks-trumps-save-america-act-thwarting-restrictions-on-voting/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/senate-blocks-trump-voting-bill-amid-split-in-gop-ranks

The U.S. Senate on Thursday rejected President Donald Trump's signature voting legislation, delivering a significant setback to efforts to impose stricter election requirements ahead of the November midterm elections.

According to a report from the [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/05/repub/us-senate-blocks-trumps-save-america-act-thwarting-restrictions-on-voting/), senators voted 48-50 against advancing an amendment that would have incorporated the SAVE America Act into an immigration-focused spending bill. The legislation required 60 votes to advance, leaving supporters far short of the threshold needed to overcome the Senate filibuster.

The measure would have required voters to provide documents such as birth certificates or passports proving citizenship when registering to vote, mandated photo identification for voting, and effectively eliminated voter registration drives by restricting where people can register. Supporters argue the bill is necessary to combat noncitizen voting, which they contend is a problem. However, [election officials and multiple audits](https://electioninnovation.org/research/noncitizen-analysis-update/) have found noncitizen voting to be extraordinarily rare.

Democrats unanimously opposed the bill, but the measure also failed to gain unanimous Republican support. Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina joined Democrats in voting against it. Collins is running for reelection in one of the country's most competitive Senate races, while McConnell and Tillis have opted against seeking reelection. Murkowski said the bill would create barriers for voters in her large, rural state.

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who introduced the amendment, also included provisions restricting sports participation by transgender athletes. After the vote, Graham declared on social media that the SAVE America Act is "one of the most consequential" pieces of legislation and predicted Democrats would "eventually pay a price."

The Senate also rejected a second amendment offered by Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, that contained a different version of the SAVE America Act without the transgender provisions. That vote failed 50-49, though Collins voted in favor of Lee's version.

With the Senate unwilling to advance the legislation, some GOP lawmakers have begun proposing alternative election-related bills. Republican Reps. Julie Fedorchak of North Dakota and Laurel Lee of Florida introduced the SAVE America Through REAL ID Act on Thursday, which would create grants to help states provide identification to low-income residents. Additionally, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican, and Graham introduced the Election Security Partnership Act, designed to encourage states to participate in a Department of Homeland Security program that identifies possible noncitizens on voter rolls.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/05/repub/us-senate-blocks-trumps-save-america-act-thwarting-restrictions-on-voting/)
- [Center for Election Innovation & Research - Update: Review of Claims of Noncitizen Registrants and Voters](https://electioninnovation.org/research/noncitizen-analysis-update/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/05/repub/us-senate-blocks-trumps-save-america-act-thwarting-restrictions-on-voting/.