OPINION:
The Senate is now debating the SAVE America Act, legislation that would require proof of citizenship when registering to vote and identification when casting a ballot.
On its face, the policy is not especially complicated. Federal law already requires that only U.S. citizens vote in federal elections. The SAVE America Act ensures that the requirement is actually verified, setting a nationwide standard for confirming citizenship at registration and applying voter ID requirements that are already familiar to Americans in numerous areas of daily life.
Voters, for their part, seem to grasp this without much difficulty. More than 70% support the SAVE America Act.
By any normal standard, legislation this straightforward and widely supported would have already passed. Instead, out-of-touch Washington elites have turned it into a spectacle.
On one side, you have uniform opposition from Democrats, whose party leaders have labeled the bill “Jim Crow 2.0” and pledged to “hold the line as long as necessary” to block it. By now, baseless dramatizations such as this are expected. If a proposal carries even the faintest association with President Trump, outright and often exaggerated opposition is automatic, regardless of its substance or even its popularity among their own constituents.
Even more convoluted is the hesitation to force the issue on the Republican side. A significant number of Senate Republicans have thrown up their hands and declined to take a public position supporting the talking filibuster, a tactic available to senators when there is no clear path to invoking cloture with 60 votes, allowing a simple majority to pass the bill.
It’s clear that letting the effort stall so easily only helps Senate Democrats who want to defeat it. If Republicans abandon the effort, then legislation overwhelmingly supported by the American people will fail. Show votes and political theater are unacceptable outcomes in the debate to pass election integrity reforms.
Keeping the bill on the floor changes that. Senate Republican leadership can force repeated votes, extended floor time and days of debate, during which the Democratic opposition must hold the floor and speak — the talking filibuster.
With the midterms approaching, this is a perfect opportunity to ensure that voters can see exactly where their elected officials stand.
It also exposes the weak narrative built around the bill. Some claim the legislation requires every voter to obtain a passport. False. The legislation allows multiple forms of documentation already used by federal and state authorities, including standard government-issued IDs, military records, birth certificates and other easily obtainable documents.
Others claim the bill disenfranchises women who change their names after marriage. False. The legislation provides for an easy way to update registration, including the use of affidavits at polling places. These are not barriers.
Critics also suggest that military members stationed abroad would be prevented from voting. False. Existing protections for military and overseas voters remain fully intact.
Some claim the bill is “just unnecessary” because the law already allows only citizens to vote. True, but although citizenship is required, the National Voter Registration Act restricts states’ ability to verify citizenship during voter registration. As it stands today, noncitizens can vote, and many do.
Under modest scrutiny, opponents’ arguments fall apart.
A sustained and detailed debate would make that clear by reinforcing what the SAVE America Act does: ensure that only eligible U.S. citizens vote.
If Democrats continue to block any path forward, Republicans have a choice. They can let the issue fade, or they can keep it on the floor and require the opposition to defend its position in full view of the public.
If you would like to know how your senators stand on the bill, visit the Club for Growth’s PassSaveAmericaAct.com. The website helps Americans determine whether their elected official supports a talking filibuster strategy to pass the bill and stands with the 83% who support voter ID or the small minority who inexplicably oppose it.
• David McIntosh is the president of Club For Growth.
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