Tesla Inc. (TSLA) CEO and former White House adviser Elon Musk is once again diving headfirst into America's voting-rules debate, this time with an apocalyptic warning: pass stricter citizenship verification requirements or watch democracy collapse.

Beck Sounds the Alarm, Musk Agrees

Musk's latest foray came Wednesday when he responded to conservative commentator Glenn Beck, who was urging Republicans on X to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, better known as the SAVE Act. Beck argued that passing the bill would "save the republic AND rescue the GOP," warning that failure would doom everyone. He claimed 80% of Americans support the measure, pointing out the irony that you need ID for nearly everything except voting. "There is only one reason not to pass this and we all know what it is," Beck wrote.

Musk's reply was characteristically blunt: "It must be done or democracy is dead."

What Would the SAVE Act Actually Do?

The SAVE Act, championed by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and originally introduced by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), would require documentary proof of US citizenship before anyone can be added to federal voter rolls.

Supporters frame it as a safeguard against noncitizens voting illegally. Democrats and voting-rights advocates counter that noncitizen voting in federal elections is already against the law, and adding new documentation hurdles would only prevent eligible Americans from registering to vote.

Musk's Running Campaign for Voter ID

This isn't new territory for Musk. Voter identification has become one of his pet causes. Earlier in 2025, he and Donald Trump threw their weight behind a Wisconsin ballot measure that enshrined photo ID requirements in the state constitution. After it passed, Musk called it "the most important thing" to come out of the election, even though their preferred state supreme court candidate lost.

Musk has previously labeled anyone opposing proof-of-citizenship requirements as "traitors" and criticized states without voter ID mandates as threats to election integrity.

He also clashed with Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) after Newsom signed a law blocking cities from requiring voter ID at polling places. Musk posted on X: "Wow, it is now illegal to require voter ID in California! They just made PREVENTING voter fraud against the law. The Joker is in charge."

Congressional Standoff Over Shutdown Politics

Republicans in Congress overwhelmingly support the SAVE Act, but Speaker Johnson has pushed back against conservative hardliners demanding it be attached to must-pass funding legislation during the current partial government shutdown. "We all want the SAVE Act, but we look at the reality of the numbers here," Johnson said Monday. "This is a funding package right now, and I don't think we need to be playing games with government funding."

Democrats are united in opposition. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer slammed the measure on X Tuesday: "The SAVE Act is nothing more than Jim Crow 2.0. It would disenfranchise millions of Americans. Every single Senate Democrat will vote against any bill that contains it. Speaker Johnson should tell SAVE Act Republicans to stand down or else this shutdown will be on them."