Some Senate Republicans supported Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s promise to hold a vote on an amended election security bill.
Thune, R-S.D., on Wednesday called for adding a voter ID mandate to a bill requiring proof of citizenship to vote in a federal election.
“At some point, we’ll have that vote,” Thune said of the Senate bill.
The House first approved the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE Act, sponsored by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas. The legislation requires voters to provide proof of citizenship in person to register to vote in a federal election and requires states to remove noncitizens from voter rolls.
The Senate version of the bill, sponsored by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has lingered in the chamber. However, it has gained momentum after Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., strongly advocated for it earlier this week.
“I co-sponsored the SAVE Act in the past. My understanding is that they are still modifying the bill,” Thune told reporters Wednesday. “It includes right now a requirement that you be a citizen to register to vote, but it doesn’t include a requirement that to vote, you must be a [citizen].”
“In other words, if you’re going have what we call voter ID or photo ID, when somebody goes into the ballot box to vote, that’s not completely covered in the bill,” Thune continued.
“So that’s been fixed and addressed, and I think the new bill will deal with that. But, at some point, we’ll have that vote. I’m for it. I think most of our colleagues in the Senate are. It hasn’t had consideration in the relevant committee yet, but I know there is a high level of interest among our members in the SAVE Act.”
In a post on X, Lee said to Thune, “Your terms are acceptable!”
In a video, Scott celebrated the Thune announcement.
“Leader Thune just said that we are going to have a vote on the SAVE Act,” Scott said. “That means, going forward, once this passes, that illegals will not have the right to vote or register in our elections. This is a huge deal.”
Democrats and liberal groups have argued that requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote creates an unnecessary barrier to voter participation. They have made similar arguments about voter ID requirements and other measures to prevent voter fraud.
Currently, 36 states require voters to show some form of ID at the polls, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Of those, only nine states require photo ID. Another 14 states and the District of Columbia require no ID to register.