Report
Republican Voters Would Be Disproportionately Impacted by Proof of Citizenship Mandates
New legislation proposed in numerous states across the country, as well as the SAVE Act pending in Congress, would mandate voting-eligible citizens present documentary proof of their citizenship to register or re-register (after a move, a name change, or a party switch) to vote. Common forms of identification such as driver’s licenses or military IDs would no longer be sufficient. Instead, nearly all citizens would be required to provide a valid passport or original birth certificate in order to cast a ballot.
Evidence shows Republican voters would face significant hurdles when exercising their freedom to vote – more than Democratic voters – under documentary proof of citizenship laws.
States where President Trump performed best in 2024 have the lowest number of citizens with valid passports.
A Secure Democracy Foundation analysis of U.S. State Department and U.S. Census Bureau data shows that the states President Trump won handily in 2024 have the largest percentage of citizens without valid U.S. passports.1
| State | Citizens WITHOUT a Valid U.S. Passport | 2024 Republican Presidential Vote Share |
| West Virginia | 78% | 70.0% |
| Mississippi | 77% | 60.9% |
| Alabama | 70% | 64.6% |
| Arkansas | 69% | 64.2% |
| Kentucky | 69% | 64.5% |
| Louisiana | 68% | 60.2% |
| Oklahoma | 64% | 66.2% |
| Indiana | 62% | 58.6% |
| Tennessee | 62% | 64.2% |
| Ohio | 60% | 55.1% |
| Missouri | 60% | 58.5% |
| South Dakota | 59% | 63.4% |
| South Carolina | 59% | 58.2% |
Additionally, a 2023 YouGov survey found that 55% of Republican voters and 52% of Trump 2020 voters reported they lacked a valid U.S. passport.
Meanwhile, Democratic-leaning states tend to have the highest number of U.S. citizens with valid passports. For instance, just 23% of citizens in California lack a valid U.S. passport, 24% in Massachusetts, and 25% in New York.1
Key GOP voting blocs are among the least likely to have valid passports.
Large majorities of key Republican voters lack a valid passport, according to the American Communities Project. This includes:
- 62% U.S. adults that live in Evangelical hubs
- 58% of working class U.S. adults
- 53% of U.S. adults in rural middle America (compared to 38% of adults in big cities)
- 53% of U.S. adults in aging farmlands
- 52% of U.S. adults near military posts
Married women — a key swing voting bloc within President Trump’s 2024 coalition — face additional barriers to voting under proof of citizenship laws.
According to the 2024 Fox News Voter Analysis, President Trump won married women 54-45, an increase in his performance from 2020. However, documentary proof of citizenship bills could restrict the ability to vote for nearly 69 million married women who have changed their last names and lack an original birth certificate with their current last name.
1 Sources: U.S. State Department, Passport Issuance and Circulation, 2024. Accessed online on February 3, 2025. U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce, “Nativity and Citizenship Status in the United States,” 2023. American Community Survey, ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables, Table B05001, 2023, accessed on February 3, 2025, UC Santa Barbara, The American Presidency Project, 2024, accessed on February 26, 2025.