The SAVE America Act to require proof of citizenship nationwide to register to vote will be voted on soon by the United States Senate after earning approval from the House.
The proposal would require citizens to present documents such as a passport or birth certificate to register to vote or update their registration.
US Senator Roger Marshall says he and his fellow Republicans believe its reasonable to ask citizens to show an ID when coming to vote or register
“We think that’s the way the founding fathers meant it to be, unfortunately no Democrats are going to support that,” Marshall tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “So, it will take 60 votes to get it through on the Senate, and we don’t have 60 votes, if every Republican voted for it we still would be seven short.”
Marshall says what is interesting to him however is the issue is an 80-20 issue
“That 80% of Americans, Republicans, Democrats, Independents, would like election integrity, they think it’s a very reasonable for people to show an ID when they go vote,” Marshall explains. “You know I can’t get a hotel room, I can’t rent a car, I can’t get on an airplane without an ID, I think the value, how important I value voting is every bit as important, probably more important, than those and that would be a reasonable request, but I’m just afraid we don’t have the votes to get it through in the Senate because no Democrat is going to vote for it.”
Many stand against the measure, claiming it would cause a suppression of voters, requiring documents such as a passport or birth certificate to register to vote or update their registration. It also would require a photo ID to vote.
To those claims, Marshall says people should value the ability to vote
“These same people that we’re talking about have an ID so that they can, like I said, go get a hotel room, rent a car, or get on an airplane, so that’s a reasonable expectation, I think it’s a reasonable expectation to do this as well,” Marshall says. “I think that we should value elections even more, and again 80% of Americans agree with me.”
Republicans control 53 seats of the Senate, however some have not signed onto the measure.
