The House of Representatives approved the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (or SAVE Act) on Wednesday. Introduced by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), the SAVE Act requires voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote such as a passport, a government-issued photo ID showing proof the individual was born in the U.S., military ID, or a valid state photo ID.
Despite strong opposition from Democratic leadership, 5 Democrats joined Republicans to support the bill, including Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas; Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas; Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine; Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C.; and Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash. The bill ultimately passed with a vote of 221-198.
Pennsylvania Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA 12), one of the rank-and-file Democrats in opposition to the bill, argued during remarks on the House floor that the bill would prevent Americans from voting.
“Let me be clear: They don’t want you to vote. They don’t want to hear Black voices, Brown voices, LGBTQIA voices, young voices. Our fundamental access to our democracy is being politicized. And this xenophobic attack that we’re debating today will make it harder for Americans to vote.” said Rep. Lee.
When we say that the right to vote is under attack, we’re not talking about hypotheticals. It is under attack right here, right now with Republicans' "SAVE" Act.
Let me break down why: pic.twitter.com/XtOzZnxYEd
— Rep. Summer Lee (@RepSummerLee) July 10, 2024
State Representative Ryan McKenzie (R-187), who is challenging Democrat Susan Wild in the Lehigh Valley-based 7th Congressional District, blasted his opponent for “voting NO to stopping illegal immigrants from voting in America’s elections.”
While Democrats showed near-unified opposition to this voter ID bill, studies show they may be on the wrong side of the American public.
A recent Pew Research study found that ‘majorities in both parties continue to support requiring all voters to show government-issued photo ID to vote.” The study found 69% of Democrats support the measure – up from 61% last year – and 95% of Republicans.
A poll from America’s New Majority Project had similar findings, with 6 in 10 Americans strongly opposed to allowing illegal immigrants to vote. Electorally, this issue could have massive implications with the poll finding that “in a hypothetical matchup between a Republican candidate who opposes allowing illegal immigrants to vote and a Democrat in support of it, the Republican wins 56% to 29%.”
Here in Pennsylvania, the economy was the most important issue to 33% of respondents in a recent Morning Consult poll, but immigration was second at 16%. Furthermore, respondents to the same poll said they trusted Donald Trump over Joe Biden to handle immigration, by a 52 percent to 32 percent margin.
The bill now heads to the U.S. Senate where it faces opposition from the Democrats who control the chamber. Even if it were to pass the Senate, President Joe Biden is on the record saying he opposes the bill.
