House Republicans Led by Rep. Bryan Steil Unveil MEGA Act
The MEGA Act would require photo ID and proof of citizenship and bar universal mail voting in federal elections.
Overview
Rep. Bryan Steil, chairman of the House Administration Committee, unveiled a one-page summary of the Make Elections Great Again (MEGA) Act proposing mandatory photo ID, proof of citizenship, a ban on universal mail voting and a ban on ranked-choice voting, the committee said.
The measure arrives as President Donald Trump's administration intensifies its focus on the 2026 midterm elections and after federal agents searched Fulton County election headquarters seeking ballots from the 2020 election, officials confirmed, elevating stakes for control of Congress.
Democrats and voting rights groups warned the proposal would disenfranchise voters, while Rep. Bryan Steil said in a statement, "These reforms will improve voter confidence, bolster election integrity, and make it easy to vote, but hard to cheat," reflecting sharply divided views.
The Brennan Center for Justice estimated in 2023 that 9% of U.S. citizens of voting age, or 21.3 million people, do not have proof of their citizenship readily available, and the summary noted that almost half of Americans do not have a U.S. passport.
The bill faces a long road in the narrowly split Congress and mirrors provisions of the earlier Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act that stalled in the Senate, and supporters said they will seek consideration ahead of the Nov. 2026 midterm elections.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources present this coverage neutrally, balancing GOP policy claims and Democratic critiques with attributed quotes and factual context. The piece quotes Rep. Steil on integrity, notes Trump’s false fraud assertions and an FBI raid, and cites Brennan Center data about documentation gaps — demonstrating source balance and restrained editorial language.
Sources (5)
FAQ
The MEGA Act requires photo ID and proof of citizenship to vote, bans universal mail voting (requiring voters to request ballots), bans ranked-choice voting, mandates auditable paper ballots, prohibits ballot harvesting, and requires mail-in ballots to be received by Election Day (except for military overseas).[1]
Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI), Chairman of the House Administration Committee, unveiled the MEGA Act.[1]
Supporters like Rep. Steil argue it improves voter confidence, bolsters election integrity, and makes voting easy but hard to cheat. Critics, including Democrats and voting rights groups, warn it would disenfranchise voters, with the Brennan Center estimating 21.3 million lack readily available citizenship proof.[3]
The MEGA Act incorporates provisions from the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which requires proof of citizenship and passed the House but stalled in the Senate.
The bill was unveiled recently and faces challenges in the narrowly split Congress, similar to the SAVE Act. Senate Majority Leader John Thune plans to bring a version to the Senate floor after House committee amendments, ahead of 2026 midterms.
History
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