Voters mark their primary election ballots at Second Presbyterian Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, on March 3, 2026. (Photo by John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate)
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. senators debated Wednesday whether the federal government should change the way Americans register to vote and vote. Republicans contend changes are needed to protect elections and Democrats argued a up-to-date law would create unnecessary obstacles.
Tensions on the issue were highlighted when Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Republican lawmakers calling the bill a uncomplicated voter ID requirement was “nonsense,” shortly before Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee claimed it would be “a suicidal move” for his party’s leaders not to find a path forward.
The legislationThe so-called Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE America Act, is unlikely to become law without the bipartisan support of at least 60 senators needed to overcome a procedural vote.
Democrats are not expected to aid Republicans, especially after Schumer called the law “Jim Crow 2.0” and “evil” during a morning news conference with voting rights advocates.
Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock said during the event that Republican lawmakers are acting out of concern that they could lose control of Congress after the convention Midterm elections in Novemberdue to President Donald Trump’s actions during his second term.
“The American people are fed up with him and his policies,” Warnock said. “He ran as someone who wanted to cut costs, who wanted to stay out of endless wars in the Middle East, and he’s failing. But instead of changing his policies, he’s trying to change the shape of the electorate.”
Problems with missing birth certificate
New Mexico Democratic Sen. Ben Ray Luján said if the bill becomes law, it would create difficulties for anyone who does not have access to their birth certificate or passport to prove U.S. citizenship when trying to register as a voter.
“What about my Native American brothers and sisters?” he said. “All of my First Nations brothers and sisters that I proudly represent across New Mexico who may have been born in their home and been with other family members for a generation. They didn’t have a birth certificate.”
New Jersey Democratic Sen. Andy Kim said Republican lawmakers seeking to change the voting process during an election year create a pattern when combined with several Republican state legislatures redrawing U.S. House maps to benefit their candidates.
“We assume that this is about politicians electing voters, not voters electing politicians,” he said.
Several Democratic state legislatures have responded to Republican redistricting efforts redraw their maps as well as.
Schumer, D-N.Y., said it was unacceptable that Republicans want every state in the country to provide the Department of Homeland Security with a list of registered voters to search a database he said is flawed.
“They’re trying to fool America. They’re saying, ‘Oh, it’s just a voter ID law.’ Nonsense. It’s not a voter ID law,” Schumer said. “It’s a law that will remove millions of Americans from the voter rolls.”
“Debate this until it’s settled.”
Lee, of Utah, said Republican leaders should not schedule the procedural vote, which requires at least 60 senators to end debate on the bill, until they find a way to move past that step.
“I think it would be a suicidal move for us as Senate Republicans and for Republicans in general if we don’t put everything we’ve got into it,” he said. “I think we need to keep debating it until we get there. And if we’re not there yet, we need to keep debating.”
Lee claimed that a longer debate on the bill would give Republicans time to win over holdouts.
“This will become so popular that I think many of our colleagues who are currently opposed to it will start to join in,” he said.
All Senate Democrats, along with Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, voted against formally opening the debate on Tuesday. North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis did not vote.
Trump wants national restrictions on postal voting
The Senate debate on the bill, which will drag on in the coming days or possibly weeks, will not be circumscribed to the current text of the law The House of Representatives passed last month.
Trump has senators asked to make three changes which they will try to take into account through amendments.
Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt said he wants to call for a vote to impose statewide restrictions on mail-in voting rather than leaving the matter to state governments.
“If you have a hardship because of a disability or an illness or because of travel, or if you are a caregiver or any other hardship that the state determines, you can vote by absentee ballot,” he said. “You have to apply for it. Then you can vote by postal vote.”
Schmitt said the carve-out will also include members of the military.
Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee said she plans to push for an amendment that could create a statewide ban on gender-affirming surgeries for transgender youth.
She said Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville will push for an amendment to ban transgender women from participating in women’s sports.
