I’ll admit that this issue has always confounded me. When we require photo ID for numerous uses in everyday American life, why would we not demand something similarly reliable when we exercise our fundamental, constitutional right to vote?
As Chief Justice Roberts has stated “the right to vote is preservative of all of our other rights.” Why would we ever allow our elections to be conducted in any way but in the most honest, reliable, and transparent manner possible? As President Trump has said “the only reason someone would oppose this bill is because they want to cheat.” Millions of Americans share that view.
So, why? The only real answer I can come up with is that national Democrats realize that a majority of Americans don’t support their ever-left leaning, socialist views and the only way they can hold on to power is to allow illegal aliens into our country and then help them vote, because they are not required to show ID, even though they are not American citizens. The Democrat end goal being the granting of citizenship to all illegals and granting them the right to vote.
So, the U.S. House passed the SAVE America Act, and it now heads to the U.S. Senate. Simply stated, the bill would require Americans to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship—such as a valid passport or certified birth certificate—when registering to vote in federal elections. It would also mandate photo identification at the time of voting. The White House itself has noted:
“Despite pioneering self-government, the United States now fails to enforce basic and necessary election protections employed by modern, developed nations. India and Brazil, for example, are tying voter identification to a biometric database, while the United States largely relies on self-attestation for citizenship. In tabulating votes, Germany and Canada require use of paper ballots, counted in public by local officials, which substantially reduces the number of disputes as compared to the American patchwork of voting methods that can lead to basic chain-of-custody problems. Further, while countries like Denmark and Sweden sensibly limit mail-in voting to those unable to vote in person and do not count late-arriving votes regardless of the date of postmark, many American elections now feature mass voting by mail, with many officials accepting ballots without postmarks or those received well after Election Day.”
As Heritage Action states “only American citizens should decide American elections. It’s that simple,” said Tiffany Justice. “The House has drawn a bright line: citizenship matters. The Senate now faces a choice—stand with the American people and protect the ballot, or defend a status quo that weakens our sovereignty and national security.” It is simply undeniable that public confidence in elections depends on requiring reliable and authentic proof of citizenship to register to vote.
Heritage Action continues, “every illegal vote cancels out a legal one. The SAVE America Act protects the value of every legitimate ballot by ensuring that only citizens are added to the voter rolls. This is not controversial—it is foundational.”
There is simply no way to credibly refute the premise underlying the SAVE Act.
Our nation simply cannot allow non-citizens to register and vote. That is why requiring proof of citizenship and a photo ID to vote are the only way to ensure free and fair elections. However, national Democrats assert that these basic voting requirements would impose barriers for eligible voters and “would impose Jim Crow type laws to the entire country,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.), arguing that the proposed legislation would “disenfranchise millions of American citizens.” Completely false. These basic requirements are the very minimum the world’s only superpower should require for its national elections.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Chip Roy (R., Texas), has stated that “only Americans should vote, but in this age of progressive, suicidal empathy, basic concepts such as voter ID and proof of citizenship have been attacked as suppression.”
I note that voter ID is supported by strong majorities—including among Democrats, independents, Whites, Blacks, and Latinos. In fact, CNN reporter Harry Enten has stated: “the bottom line is this: Voter ID is NOT controversial in this country. A photo ID to vote is NOT controversial in this country. It is not controversial by party, and it is not controversial by race. The vast majority of Americans agree.”
We must safeguard our nation’s elections; not doing so is simply not an option.
Shreveport attorney, Royal Alexander, worked in D.C. in the U.S. House of Representatives for nearly 8 years for two different Members of Congress from Louisiana.