Inside the New Push to Pass the SAVE Act

The SAVE Act stalled in the Senate. But Trump’s allies have a new campaign to force it forward.

SAVE Act Status Update

The SAVE Act (H.R. 22) – deceptively named the “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility” Act despite it being a massive voter suppression bill – passed the U.S. House in April and now looms in the Senate.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) – who drew national attention recently for his social media posts spreading far-right disinformation – tried to push the SAVE Act through using the Senate’s ‘unanimous consent’ procedure recently, but Sen. Alex Padilla’s (D-CA) objection blocked the effort.

Rather than back down, the bill’s supporters are doubling down. As SAVE Act–style laws are popping up in state legislatures across the country, far-right election-denier groups are using the bill’s pause in the Senate to crank up pressure on Republican lawmakers – they announced they’re taking their lobbying efforts from Washington D.C. to the states.

Tea Party Patriots Campaign

The Tea Party Patriots (TPP) – a conservative activist group with deep roots in the far-right grassroots – has launched a new campaign to rally support for the SAVE Act. They’re contacting voters and constituents directly and pressuring senators to back the bill – specifically asking senators to attach the SAVE Act to must-pass legislation, like a continuing budget resolution or the National Defense Authorization Act.

The SAVE Act is a key part of the far-right’s national voter suppression playbook – remember, Donald Trump tried to coerce Congress into passing the SAVE Act, demanding it be passed as a condition for funding the federal government.

This new pressure campaign further illustrates how important the SAVE Act is to their voter suppression playbook ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Their end goal is to block tens of millions of Americans from voting to stop Democrats from taking back the U.S. House, Senate, and tons of important state-level races.

The Tea Party Patriots campaign also gives us a window into how anti-freedom groups like the Election Integrity Network coordinate their strategy: they’re working to turn the SAVE Act into a local issue by organizing constituent pressure campaigns in key states. The goal is to make senators feel heat at home – likely focusing on those facing reelection in 2026.

That kind of pressure can be effective. We’ve already seen how backlash from Trump and his allied groups has pushed some Republican Senators to drop reelection bids over his "Big Ugly Bill", and this new state-level organizing could create similar headaches for GOP lawmakers who resist the far-right agenda.

Who are the Tea Party Patriots?

Tea Party Patriots aren’t just a fringe group — they helped fund the “Save America” rally that led to January 6. Now, they’re deeply embedded in Cleta Mitchell’s Election Integrity Network, a project of the Trump-aligned Conservative Partnership Institute. Funded by far-right figures like the Federalist Society’s Leonard Leo, they form a coordinated campaign pushing restrictive voting laws across the country.

In 2023, Mitchell launched the “Only Citizens Vote” coalition – explicitly created to push proof-of-citizenship laws like the SAVE Act. The coalition endorses the bill and lists Tea Party Patriots Action as a member. Their strategy? Spread false and discredited fears about non-citizen voting to justify laws that make it harder for eligible Americans to cast a ballot.

This isn’t grassroots – it’s a national operation.

What You Can Do

• Talk to people you know: Share accurate information about the SAVE Act face-to-face, over text (especially in your group chats), or DMs on platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Personal conversations cut through the noise and can do what social-media algorithms won’t: reach the people who need to hear the truth.

• Call your senators: Pick up the phone and tell your senators (especially if they’re Republicans) to vote no on the SAVE Act. Make it explicit – the bill would disenfranchise millions of eligible Americans. Direct pressure from constituents makes a difference. You can call your senators at (202) 224-3121.

• Get involved and get visible: Far-right activists are hosting sign-waving rallies, holding house parties, and organizing calls and letter drops to their members of Congress. We can do the same – for democracy. Host a backyard conversation, or show up at a local office with a handwritten letter, call your senators once or twice a week.

• Support and engage with pro-voter groups: Organizations like Fair Fight, All Voting is Local, Stand Up America, VoteRiders, VotoLatino, and many others across the country are on the front lines defending democracy. Volunteer, share their resources, or just stay informed – because informed voters are empowered voters.

Holding the line for democracy,

Fair Fight Team

Paid for by Fair Fight, www.fairfight.com, not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.