---
title: SR 838. "State Assurance of Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Amendment" -CA
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sr838
cite_as: SR 838, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr838
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr838.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr838/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73520
date: 2026-03-06
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 688
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr838.md?full=1
bill_number: SR 838
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: resolution
status_date: 2026-02-24
last_action: Senate Lost
sponsors:
- Greg Dolezal
- Shawn Still
- John Albers
- Drew Echols
- Larry Walker
- Jason Anavitarte
- Ben Watson
- Bo Hatchett
- Timothy Bearden
- Max Burns
- Bill Cowsert
- Chuck Payne
- Jason T. Dickerson
- Carden Summers
- Steve Gooch
- Steven McNeel
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR838/2025
upstream_id: 2123526
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- voter ID
- election rules
- constitutional amendment
- citizenship and voting
- Georgia elections
---
# SR 838. "State Assurance of Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Amendment" -CA
## Text
Senate Resolution 838
By: Senators Dolezal of the 27th, Still of the 48th, Albers of the 56th, Echols of the 49th,
Walker III of the 20th and others
A RESOLUTION
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Georgia so as to clarify that only
citizens of the United States shall have a right to vote in elections in this state; to require
electors to present photographic identification prior to casting a ballot; to provide a short
title; to provide for related matters; to provide for the submission of this amendment for
ratification or rejection; and for other purposes.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
This resolution shall be known and may be cited as the "State Assurance of Voter Eligibility
(SAVE) Amendment.''
SECTION 2.
Article II, Section I of the Constitution is amended by revising Paragraph II as follows:
"Paragraph II. Right to register and vote. Every person who is a citizen Only individuals
who are citizens of the United States and a resident residents of Georgia as defined by law,
who is are at least 18 years of age and not disenfranchised by this article, and who meets
meet minimum residency requirements as provided by law shall be entitled to vote at any
election by the people; provided, however, that registered electors must present
photographic identification, the forms of which the General Assembly shall provide by law,
prior to casting a ballot in any election. The General Assembly shall provide by law for
the registration of electors."
SECTION 2.
The above proposed amendment to the Constitution shall be published and submitted as
provided in Article X, Section I, Paragraph II of the Constitution. The ballot submitting the
above proposed amendment shall have written or printed thereon the following:
"( ) YES Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to clarify that only
( ) NO citizens of the United States shall have a right to vote in elections in the State
of Georgia and that voters must present a photo ID before casting a ballot?"
All persons desiring to vote in favor of ratifying the proposed amendment shall vote "Yes."
All persons desiring to vote against ratifying the proposed amendment shall vote "No." If
such amendment shall be ratified as provided in said Paragraph of the Constitution, it shall
become a part of the Constitution of this state.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary.
A Georgia Senate resolution would ask voters to amend the state Constitution to specify that only U.S. citizens may vote in Georgia elections and to require voters to show photo identification before casting a ballot.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia's Constitution currently says any citizen of the United States who is also a Georgia resident, at least 18, and not disqualified can vote. This resolution proposes a constitutional amendment that rewords that language to say only individuals who are citizens (rather than any person who is a citizen) may vote, and adds a new requirement that registered voters present photographic identification before casting a ballot in any election. The General Assembly would decide by future law what forms of ID count.
Because this is a proposed constitutional amendment, it cannot take effect on its own. It must first be published and then placed on the ballot for Georgia voters to ratify or reject, with the ballot question asking whether the Constitution should be amended to clarify citizen-only voting and require photo ID.
### What it does
- Rewords Article II, Section I, Paragraph II of the Georgia Constitution to state that only citizens of the United States may vote, changing phrasing from 'every person who is a citizen' to 'only individuals who are citizens.'
- Adds a new constitutional requirement that registered electors present photographic identification before casting a ballot in any election.
- Directs the General Assembly to decide by future law which forms of photo identification will satisfy the requirement.
- Sets a short title for the measure, the 'State Assurance of Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Amendment.'
- Requires the proposed amendment to be published and put before Georgia voters for ratification or rejection at the ballot box.
### Who it affects
Georgia voters and prospective voters, who would face a constitutional photo ID requirement at the polls, and the General Assembly, which would be tasked with defining acceptable forms of identification by law. County election officials who check voter credentials would also be affected.
### Why it matters
If ratified, this would embed a photo ID requirement directly in Georgia's Constitution rather than leaving it to statute, making it harder to change without another constitutional amendment. It would also affirm citizen-only voting in the state's founding document, though current law already limits voting to citizens.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 establishes the short title, the 'State Assurance of Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Amendment.'
- Section 2 revises Article II, Section I, Paragraph II of the Constitution to specify that only citizens of the United States who are Georgia residents may vote.
- The same section inserts a new requirement that registered electors present photographic identification, with forms specified by the General Assembly, before casting a ballot.
- A second Section 2 (numbered again in the text) sets the ballot question language voters will see and specifies the process for ratification under Article X, Section I, Paragraph II of the Constitution.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2026-02-24)
- Last action: Senate Lost (2026-03-06)
- Sponsors: Greg Dolezal, Shawn Still, John Albers, Drew Echols, Larry Walker, Jason Anavitarte, Ben Watson, Bo Hatchett, Timothy Bearden, Max Burns, Bill Cowsert, Chuck Payne, Jason T. Dickerson, Carden Summers, Steve Gooch, Steven McNeel
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73520
> The history, votes, and amendments (688 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr838.md?full=1