New polling shows most Americans support SAVE Act, call for ‘real debate’

A new poll shows that most U.S. voters still want the Senate to bring the SAVE America Act to a floor vote, even as its failure is all but guaranteed.

Tea Party Patriots Action, a conservative political organization, released data Thursday from a poll conducted by marketing consultant McLaughlin & Associates showing majority support for the SAVE America Act and the “talking filibuster” strategy to earn its Senate passage.

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act would require documented proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote. But its arrival on the Senate floor could ultimately be its death.

The White House and Republicans in support of the bill have touted its relative support, showcased through the poll, in which 77% of the 1,000 general election voters surveyed agree that proof of U.S. citizenship “should be required to register to vote in American elections.”

Out of those who agreed, 92% were Republicans, 64% Democrats and 75% independents.

GOP leaders signaled that they intend to bring the act to the Senate floor for a vote next week, in line with the 65% who agree that the upper chamber should bring the bill “to the floor for debate and pass the bill.” Those who say it is “urgent” to pass the legislation make up 60% of those surveyed.

But the Trump-backed is expected to fail in the Senate, falling short of the votes needed to overcome a Democratic filibuster, with some Republican senators also withholding their support.

“The votes aren’t there for a talking filibuster,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, South Dakota Republican, told reporters Tuesday.

Even with this, 59% prefer that senators “fight to bring the bill to the Senate floor for real debate and a real effort to pass it,” with 21% preferring they hold a vote “they know will fail so they can say they tried.”

President Trump, who has said that passing the SAVE America Act through the Senate is his “No. 1 priority” heading into the midterm elections, has threatened not to sign any bills passed by Congress into law until the Senate approves the voter ID bill.

Tea Party Patriots Action co-founder Jenny Beth Martin agreed with the president’s prioritization of the legislation.

“Our poll should ring alarm bells for Republican Senators who support ’failure theater’: the American people want action, and they will not accept excuses,” she said in a statement.