(The Center Square) – The U.S. Senate voted to begin a marathon debate on Republicans’ election reform and voter ID bill Tuesday afternoon, kicking off a potentially 10-day process that will hold up other legislation currently awaiting votes.
The so-called “hybrid talking filibuster” will allow lawmakers to hold the floor to speak either for or against the House-passed SAVE America Act for as long as they are able. Republicans also plan on introducing multiple amendments.
The marathon debate is unlikely to change the minds of enough Democrats to overcome the filibuster. But Republican leaders argue that it will at least force Senate Democrats to go on the record about why they oppose the bill.
“Voter ID laws are so obvious. They’re so common sense that it’s shocking that we’re even having a debate on the floor of the United States Senate this week about it,” Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., said prior to the vote. “It’s hard to see that there are even two sides to this issue. Unless, of course, you believe that it really is OK for illegal immigrants to vote in our elections.”
The SAVE America Act would mandate that Americans display a valid ID to vote in federal elections, require people to present proof of citizenship when registering to vote, and necessitate in-person voter registration for federal elections. It also directs all states to remove all noncitizens from their voter rolls.
Under the legislation, people would not be able to register to vote with only their driver’s license, since noncitizens can obtain that. They would instead need to present documents proving U.S. citizenship, such as a birth certificate or U.S. passport.
While Republicans call the legislation “commonsense,” Democrats have argued it will “disenfranchise” millions of Americans who may not have access to proof of citizenship.
“The SAVE [America] Act is not a voter id bill. It is in every sense a voter suppression bill,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told lawmakers Tuesday. “It’s a naked attempt to rig our elections.”
Republicans will likely counter during the marathon debate that the bill includes provisions for these Americans. It allows potential voters to issue a sworn attestation under penalty of perjury that establishes the facts of their citizenship. Once their state verifies their citizenship and confirms their eligibility, those Americans’ votes will be counted.
Existing law for voter registration in federal elections does not require the state to officially review or verify citizenship attestations, which Republicans argue is an election security risk.
