Washington DC - The US House on Wednesday advanced Republican-backed legislation that would make sweeping changes to voting regulations nationwide.

Congressional representatives voted 218-213 in favor of the SAVE America Act, which now heads to the Senate.

Democrat Henry Cuellar of Texas joined Republicans in approving the bill.

Introduced by Texas Republican Chip Roy, the legislation calls for a nationwide photo ID requirement, with student IDs explicitly prohibited, as well as proof of citizenship in order to vote.

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Laura Williamson, a senior policy advisor at the Southern Poverty Law Center, has described the SAVE America Act as "anti-voter" and "anti-democracy."

"Tens of millions of Americans don't have easy access to those documents [passports or birth certificates], whether it's married women or others who've changed their names since birth or people with low incomes who are less likely to have a passport, people with disabilities or people living in rural areas who would have to drive hours to get to their local election office, and so many more," Williamson explained in an Instagram video.

The League of Women Voters has also slammed the bill as a "direct attack on the freedom to vote" and "part of a coordinated effort to make voting harder for eligible Americans."

"This is modern-day voter suppression, plain and simple," the group added.

Republicans have a simple majority in the Senate, but they likely do not have the votes needed to override a Democratic filibuster in order to pass the SAVE America Act.