TO: Interested Parties
FROM: Defend the Vote Action Fund
RE: Public Opinion on Trump’s Threats to Elections & the SAVE Act
According to a recent survey conducted February 23-24, 2026, Donald Trump’s calls for a federal takeover of elections and several provisions in the SAVE Act are deeply unpopular with Independent voters. Learning more about these individual proposals within the SAVE Act increased opposition to the bill among this key cohort.
The bill’s provisions predictably drive Democrats and Republicans into their partisan corners. However, Independent voters show significant opposition to the bill’s extreme requirements, particularly to its provisions that go far beyond typical voter ID laws and demands that states surrender voters’ private data to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Defend the Vote Action Fund commissioned a Public Policy Polling (PPP) national survey of 597 registered voters from February 23–24, 2026 and found the following among Independent voters:
- Trump’s call for a federal takeover of elections: 66% express serious or somewhatserious concerns, including 57% who express serious concerns
- Initial support for the SAVE Act: 34% support: 35% oppose, 31% not sure
- SAVE Act Proposals:
- Showing a U.S. passport or birth certificate to register to vote: 39% support, 56% oppose, 5% not sure
- Adding additional hurdles for married women: 36% support, 50% oppose, 14% not sure
- Sharing confidential voter roll information with DHS: 25% support, 65% oppose, 10% not sure
- Eliminating voter registration methods (online, mail, DMV): 30% support, 62% oppose, 8% not sure.
- After hearing additional information, overall support for the SAVE Act: 35% support, 61% oppose (a 26% increase), 4% not sure
These findings illustrate a critical distinction in public opinion. While Americans support reasonable voter identification laws, the SAVE Act’s mandatory proof-of-citizenship provisions and federalization measures are viewed skeptically — especially among Independent voters.