03.19.26

Senate Democrats Defy Common Sense – and Their Party’s Own Voters – by Opposing Voter ID

Voter ID Is Supported by An Overwhelming Majority of Voters, Including Democrats, and Proof of Identification Is Required for a Long List of Everyday Activities.

“Let us admit the truth; everywhere people go, they’re asked for a Social Security card. In fact, one way to prove you are a bona fide person who can have a job is to ask for a driver’s license and a Social Security card.” – Then-Rep. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) (3/19/96)

THE SAVE AMERICA ACT WOULD REQUIRE ALL VOTERS TO PROVE THEY ARE WHO THEY SAY THEY ARE WHEN VOTING – SOMETHING 36 STATES ALREADY DO AND MOST VOTERS, INCLUDING DEMOCRATS, SUPPORT

“I think we can all agree that if you have to show photo ID – and prove where you live – to get a library card, it’s not too much to ask voters to show ID to vote in federal elections… It kind of feels like the only Americans not to support voter ID requirements are Democrats here in Congress.” – Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.)

  • “The SAVE America Act would protect and preserve the right of American citizens to vote by… [r]equiring individuals to present an eligible photo identification document before voting.” (Sen. Lee: Senator Mike Lee Introduces SAVE America Act with Congressman Chip Roy – 1/30/26)
  • “Thirty-six states have laws requesting or requiring voters to show some form of identification at the polls.”

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(National Conference of State Legislatures: Voter ID Laws – 7/2/25)

  • 71% of voters support the House-passed SAVE America Act, including:
    • 50% of Democrat voters
    • 69% of Independent voters
    • 62% of Hispanic voters
    • 69% of Black or African American voters (Harvard-Harris Poll – 3/2/26)
  • 81% of voters in the same poll support requiring voter ID to vote, including:
    • 70% of Democrat voters and 68% of self-described liberal voters
    • 79% of Independent voters
    • 77% of Hispanic voters
    • 73% of Black or African American voters (Harvard-Harris Poll – 3/2/26)
  • In a separate poll from August 2025, 83% of voters – including 71% of Democrats – said they support requiring a photo ID for all voters. (Pew Research Center Poll – 8/22/25)

DEMOCRAT POLITICIANS SAY VOTER ID IS A SUPPRESSION TACTIC, BUT AMERICANS ARE USED TO PRESENTING IDENTIFICATION ON A NEAR-DAILY BASIS

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  • “Republicans are aggressively touting a popular provision in their sweeping SAVE America Act to overhaul elections nationwide: requiring photo identification to vote.”
    • “It’s a policy long opposed by Democrats in Congress, who liken it — along with the bill's proof-of-citizenship requirement to register to vote — to nefarious Jim Crow-era laws aimed at preventing African Americans from voting.”
    • “But that message is increasingly falling flat with the American public, including Black voters, as photo IDs are increasingly required for common activities, like flying.” (NBC News: Most Americans support requiring photo ID to vote. Democrats in Congress reject it. – 3/17/26)
  • Indeed, Americans regularly prove their identity to do basic things:
    • To rent a car, drivers have to show photo identification. (Enterprise: What are Your Driver's License Requirements for Renting in the United States? – accessed 3/19/26)
    • Upon being hired for a job, everyone must provide photo identification or supplemental information to employers and the federal government. (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: Handbook for Employers M-274 – 7/15/25)
    • To apply for SNAP benefits, states require proof of identity and citizenship. (Arizona Department of Economic Security: How to Apply for Nutrition Assistance – accessed 3/19/26; State of Georgia: Apply for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) – accessed 3/19/26)
    • Cashing a personal or payroll check requires proof of identification in almost all circumstances. (Huntington Bank: How to cash a check without a bank account or ID – accessed 3/19/26; New York City: Why do I need an ID – accessed 3/19/26)
    • To rent an apartment – or even tour a building – most people are required to show photo identification. (Zillow: What Do You Need to Rent an Apartment? – 11/21/24; Apartments.com: Top Renter Questions – 4/9/19; New York City: Why do I need an ID – accessed 3/19/26)
  • Still, Democrats have lambasted the SAVE America Act and its voter ID provisions:
    • “The SAVE Act is Jim Crow 2.0.” – Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)
    • “My caucus really feels strongly that this would be a horror … one of the worst things that’s happened in the history of this country…” – Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)
    • “Sen. Angus King, a centrist independent from Maine who caucuses with Democrats, responded with a flat ‘no’ when asked if any kind of nationwide photo ID mandate for voting would be acceptable to him.” (NBC News: Most Americans support requiring photo ID to vote. Democrats in Congress reject it. – 3/17/26)

IN FACT, DEMOCRATS THEMSELVES REQUIRE IDENTIFICATION FOR ALL SORTS OF THINGS – FROM POLITICAL RALLIES TO EMERGENCY SNOW SHOVELING – BUT VOTED TO GUT VOTER ID THE LAST TIME THEY HAD UNIFIED CONTROL OF GOVERNMENT

  • Just last month, “Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., asked attendees at a campaign event… to show government-issued photo ID, even while opposing similar standards for voters in federal elections.”
    • “Email confirmation information for an Ossoff rally in Atlanta detailed that ‘a matching government-issued ID will be verified against the RSVP list by name to enter.’” (Fox News: This Senate Democrat wants voter ID for his campaign events — but not federal elections – 2/7/26)
  • During this winter’s historic winter storms, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) announced an emergency snow shoveling surge, which required photo ID. (New York City Department of Sanitation: Emergency Snow Shovelers – accessed 3/19/26; Fox News: NYC Mayor Mamdani dodges question on why snow shovelers need 2 forms of ID, but voters need none – 2/24/26)
    • “The mayor did not touch on the voter ID portion of the question.” (Fox News: NYC Mayor Mamdani dodges question on why snow shovelers need 2 forms of ID, but voters need none – 2/24/26)
  • And at their 2024 Democratic National Convention, organizers required “attendees and the media to show a photo ID, press badge, or other credentials to law enforcement and volunteers in order to enter.” (Fox News: DNC attendees a mixed bag when it comes to voter ID laws amid tight convention security: 'Free and fair' – 8/20/24)
    • Guidance for the those living within a certain radius of the convention said that residents’ guests to their own private homes would have to present photo ID to visit: “they will also be allowed guests as long as those guests have photo ID.” (NewsNation: What to know about the Democratic National Convention – 8/13/24)
  • Yet Democrats’ own signature voting legislation in 2021 included “nullification of most voter identification laws.” (The New York Times: In Congress, Republicans Shrug at Warnings of Democracy in Peril – 6/14/21)
    • Democrats unanimously supported this legislation to gut voter ID. (117th U.S. Senate – 1st Session: Roll Call Vote #459 – 11/3/21)