The Senate voted Tuesday to begin debate on the SAVE America Act, a landmark election reform bill President Donald Trump has called his top legislative priority.
The act would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo ID at the polls. It also would tighten restrictions on mail-in ballots.
The Senate voted 51-48 to proceed to debate on the bill, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, joining all Democrats in opposition. Another Republican opposed to the bill, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., missed the vote. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., voted to advance the bill as a courtesy to GOP leadership, The Hill reported.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, is a co-sponsor of the Senate version of the legislation that passed the House last month. He has argued that a prolonged floor debate could build political support for the bill, similar to how senators built support for the 1964 Civil Rights Act during a two-month floor debate.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has resisted pressure from Trump and congressional Republicans to force Democrats to wage a talking filibuster. That would require continuous floor debate to block the legislation. Instead, he will keep the measure on the floor through the weekend and into next week to highlight Democrat opposition to voting reforms.
Thune said the Senate this week will pursue a "hybrid approach" in which Republicans and Democrats will have time to debate the bill. Republicans will try to maintain control of the floor and block votes on Democrat amendments, according to The Hill.
"The design behind it, though, is to have that fulsome debate and make it about the merits of the bill," Thune said.
Thune said the bill would preserve the "integrity of elections" by requiring voters to show proof of citizenship when registering and photo ID when voting.
"Polls show that the American people overwhelmingly agree," he said, according to The Hill. "But to hear Democrats talk, you'd think that demonstrating citizenship or showing a photo ID is an intolerable burden.
"And yet ... I haven't heard Democrats complaining about the thousands of other circumstances in which we require photo ID in this country." Thune cited examples such as renting a car or staying at a hotel where ID is required.
