Republicans successfully brought the SAVE America Act to the Senate floor for debate on Tuesday, and Democrats sure do sound like they’re in full panic mode. The talking points were predictable, and we’ve heard them all before — the usual accusations of disenfranchisement, minorities unable to get IDs, married women losing access to the ballot, and their new favorite line about getting passports. Bogus fear-mongering, all of it. These concerns are literally all addressed in the text of the bill itself. So what’s the real reason they’re opposing it?
I’ve always said it’s because Democrats rely on fraudulent votes for power. That’s also the reason why the provisions of the SAVE America Act are widely popular, save for with Democrats in Congress. They won’t say that, of course, but Sen. Patty Murray actually let the cat out of the bag on the Senate floor.
First, let’s be clear about what this bill actually does. The SAVE America Act requires a photo ID to vote and proof of citizenship to register to vote. That’s it. There is literally nothing controversial about this.
Yet, Murray took to the floor and said, “Just consider all the people who will face new challenges just to vote, for no good reason. If you are a student who just moved to start college, Republicans will make it harder for you to vote because if this bill passes, you will need to show a photo ID and proof of citizenship in every single state, but a student ID won’t count. Many tribal IDs also won’t be enough under the new Republican restrictions.”
Read that again slowly.
Murray’s great concern is that students won’t be able to vote using their college IDs. But here’s the thing — domestic students who attend school out of state are not voting residents of that state, just because they go to school there. They are still residents of wherever home is. I grew up in Massachusetts and went to college in Connecticut, but I didn’t officially move to Connecticut. I didn’t register to vote there. When elections came, I voted absentee. That’s how it works, that’s how it has always worked, and it is entirely legal and straightforward. No student needs to vote in the state where his or her college is located, unless he or she literally goes through the process of changing his/her residency. The scenario Murray is describing isn’t a suppression crisis — it’s a thing that shouldn’t be happening at all.
ICYMI: Greg Gutfeld Shreds Jessica Tarlov’s On-Air Meltdown Over the SAVE Act
What if she was talking about foreign students? That’s even worse. Once again, going to school in the United States doesn’t make you a naturalized citizen with voting rights. Foreign students have no legal right to vote in American elections, just because they live in a dorm and go to school in the United States.
In short, there’s no legitimate reason why a student ID should be used for voting.
So what Murray actually argued is that the SAVE America Act would prevent people who have no business voting from doing so. She dressed it up in the language of disenfranchisement, but strip away the emotion, and that’s the core of her complaint. Students who aren’t legal residents of a state won’t be able to vote there. Foreign nationals won’t be able to pull out a campus ID card and head to the polls. Murray presented these outcomes as injustices.
Most Americans would agree this is exactly the kind of fraud they want to prevent.
Democrats aren’t worried that eligible American citizens will be turned away. They’re worried about the illegitimate voters who would be turned away — the ones who, under current lax standards, might have slipped through. The SAVE America Act closes that door, and for Democrats, that’s the real problem hiding behind all the noise.
Want to support fearless journalism that exposes the Left and tells the stories the media won’t? PJ Media delivers the truth and holds the powerful accountable. Become a VIP member today — your support fuels our mission and unlocks exclusive content, podcasts, an ad-free experience, and more.
Use code FIGHT for 60% off. It’s a great time to join our movement. Join now and stand for America-first journalism!
