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.
#1: Mudboy Slim To: All (#0)
MAGA...MUD
Mudboy Slim posted on 2026-03-26 10:09:37 Reply Private Reply
#2: Mudboy Slim To: All (#1)
Dittos...MUD
Mudboy Slim posted on 2026-03-26 10:30:31 Reply Private Reply
#3: Mudboy Slim To: All (#1)
Regards...MUD
Mudboy Slim posted on 2026-03-30 10:08:44 Reply Private Reply
#4: Mudboy Slim To: All (#0)
Regards...MUD
Mudboy Slim posted on 2026-03-31 10:30:05 Reply Private Reply
#5: Mudboy Slim To: All (#0)
Reckon so...MUD
Mudboy Slim posted on 2026-04-07 09:34:38 Reply Private Reply
#6: Mudboy Slim To: All (#2)
ZACKLEY...MUD
Mudboy Slim posted on 2026-04-17 12:56:31 Reply Private Reply
#7: nolu chan To: Mudboy Slim (#0)
While this has little chance to achieve cloture of a filibuster, it may be fun to consider what might occur should it happen to pass.
The new law would require a type of photo ID not currently issued by State authorities. Because commandeering of State agencies to perform work for Federal purposes is prohibited, States could not be forced to issue such ID cards. To be clear, to remain constitutional, the text of the prospective law carefully refrains mandating that any State issue such a card. And let us assume just one state declines to issue such cards.
To satisfy the law, the Federal government would have to issue the cards. There is no Federal agency set up to do it. Unlike the State DMVs, there is no set of Federal local offices available for all to go to, present their documents, and obtain the required photo ID card.
Passports would suffice but they are not free and perhaps a hundred million or more voters do not have one. Nor is there a universally available local passport office to go to where you can present your documents in person. You can't just mail it in. Moving onward, the logistics of issuing a hundred million or so photo ID cards would overwhelm the passport issuing agency.
In short, the Federal government is not currently equipped to issue the cards, and they have no authority to force the State DMVs to do it for them. If any one State declines to volunteer to assist, people of that State will likely be unable to obtain cards. In that case, a court would likely step in and declare the law unenforceable until such time as the Federal government can meet the demand for free photo ID cards with the information required for Federal purposes. That would likely be well after the upcoming midterm elections. The cards would be needed at the time of registration.
nolu chan posted on 2026-04-18 00:00:14 Reply Private Reply
#8: Mudboy Slim To: All (#1)
Imagine that, DeeCeeRATZ...MUD
Mudboy Slim posted on 2026-05-05 13:13:00 Reply Private Reply
#9: Mudboy Slim To: Mudboy Slim (#0)
May America NEVER FORGET the human toll paid for our Freedoms...MUD
Mudboy Slim posted on 2026-05-29 10:24:04 Reply Private Reply
#10: Mudboy Slim To: Mudboy Slim (#2)
Regards...MUD
Mudboy Slim posted on 2026-05-29 10:50:20 Reply Private Reply