The bill would require voters to show ID and proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. โ The U.S. Senate is set to begin a marathon debate on the controversial SAVE America Act, a bill that would overhaul federal election laws.ย
The Senate voted 51-48 on Tuesday to bring up the measure. Sen. Lisa Murkowski joined Democrats, while North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who says he agrees with the bill on merit but doesn’t see a viable path to passing it, didn’t vote.ย
The bill would require voters to show ID and proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote. It would also require voters to show photo ID to cast ballots, including mail-in votes. Democrats argue the extra paperwork could keep people from the polls.ย
Tillis pulled no punches when asked about the debate, calling it a “waste of time.” The back-and-forth could stretch for several days, possibly into the weekend. The bill’s also unlikely to pass, because the GOP faces a 60-vote threshold. Currently, they only have 51 votes.ย
โPeople on my side of the aisle โ and people at the far right of the political spectrum โ are trying to swing for the fences, and theyโre not going to succeed,โ Tillis told reporters last week. โAnd weโre not going to have more states with more voter ID, which is what I want. In the process, we are setting up vulnerable Republicans for a more difficult environment than they already have.โ
President Trump has called for some revisions to the House-passed version of the bill, including largely banning voting by mail and adding prohibitions on transgender athletes and gender-affirming surgery for minors.ย
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