NAACP and the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans File Lawsuit to Block Florida’s SAVE Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 2, 2026

Contact: Chyna Fields, cfields@naacpnet.org

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Yesterday, the NAACP alongside the NAACP Florida State Conference and the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans filed a lawsuit to challenge a new Florida bill, HB 911, which requires voters to prove their citizenship status. The bill, which is Florida's version of the SAVE America Act, imposes new voting restrictions and also removes student ID as an acceptable form of voter identification. 

Immediately following the passed bill, the Florida NAACP and the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans filed the lawsuit arguing that the law harms voters and will prevent citizens from voting, in violation of their First and 14th Amendment rights. 

Excerpts from the lawsuit include:

• HB 991 requires the Florida Department of State to conduct
  a sweeping "eligibility" check on all existing voters that threatens the voting eligibility of anyone whom the Department deems "potentially ineligible," requiring those voters to similarly produce acceptable DPOC to remain on the rolls.
• HB 991 is more likely to impose significant burdens on
  specific classes of voters — including minority voters, low-income voters, and both younger and senior voters — who are less likely to have acceptable documentation and, in many cases, face greater hurdles to obtaining it.
• Plaintiffs bring this lawsuit to safeguard their members' and constituents' right to vote from HB 991's undue burdens and protect their investments in their critical voter registration and get-out-the-vote programs.

Florida is not the first state to enact a DPOC, "documentary proof of citizenship", law. A handful of other states have tried this approach — almost all of which have resulted in the disenfranchisement of thousands of qualified voters. For instance, after Kansas passed a similar DPOC law in 2011, over
30,000 would-be voters were excluded from the franchise, virtually all of whom were eligible citizens. 

The NAACP has, for over a century, been a leader in the fight against voter suppression for Black and other marginalized communities in America. This lawsuit against the Florida SAVE Act is part of the NAACP's ongoing legal fight for voting rights across the nation — as we are currently litigating in over 20 similar suits.

To learn more about our voting rights advocacy work, visit our website. 

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About NAACP

The NAACP advocates, agitates, and litigates for the civil rights due to Black America. Our legacy is built on the foundation of grassroots activism by the biggest civil rights pioneers of the 20th century and is sustained by 21st century activists. From classrooms and courtrooms to city halls and Congress, our network of members across the country works to secure the social and political power that will end race-based discrimination. That work is rooted in racial equity, civic engagement, and supportive policies and institutions for all marginalized people. We are committed to a world without racism where Black people enjoy equitable opportunities in thriving communities.

NOTE: The Legal Defense Fund – also referred to as the NAACP-LDF - was founded in 1940 as a part of the NAACP, but now operates as a completely separate entity.