Levitt responds to Trump’s call to ‘nationalize’ elections
The spokesperson’s comments came after President Donald Trump called on Republicans to “nationalize” voting.
President Donald Trump is urging lawmakers to pass a voter ID bill that includes provisions that voting rights groups warn could lead to the disenfranchisement of voters, including married women.
The SAVE America Act, which passed the Republican-led House last year but stalled in the Senate, is once again at the center of debate on Capitol Hill after returning to the House floor. Lawmakers are scheduled to vote on the bill on February 11th, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and require voters to present a government-issued photo ID proving citizenship to vote.
Supporters call the effort a security measure and say it seeks to strengthen laws barring non-citizens from voting. But voting rights advocates say it is extremely rare for noncitizens to vote, and such anomalies are not widespread enough to affect election results. Those groups, including the Brennan Center for Justice, argue that the law could make it more difficult for millions of Americans, especially young voters and voters of color, to vote.
Millions of women without married names on their birth certificates or passports will also face additional hurdles to registering and voting.
According to a 2023 Pew Research study, nearly 80% of women in heterosexual marriages take their spouse’s last name. Most married men (92%) continue to use their last names.
Over the past year, Republican lawmakers in more than 20 states have introduced measures requiring proof of citizenship, requiring people to submit documents such as birth certificates and passports when registering to vote, according to the nonpartisan Voting Rights Lab.
The bill recently came back into the public eye after the president made controversial comments on a Feb. 3 podcast calling for the federal government to “get involved” in election oversight.
White House press secretary Caroline Levitt said President Trump mentioned the passage of the SAVE Act during a conversation with host Dan Bongino, former deputy FBI director. But Trump did not mention the SAVE Act when asked about his comments on a podcast during an Oval Office event, doubling down on his comments about federal involvement in elections as his administration ramps up investigations into the 2020 election he lost to former President Joe Biden.
President Trump posted about the bill on social media in recent days ahead of the vote, repeating his long-standing and baseless claims that American elections are “rigged” and calling on “every Republican” to support the bill.
contribution:
Kathryn Palmer is USA TODAY’s political reporter. She can be reached at the following address: kapalmer@usatoday.com And to X@Kathryn Purml. Sign up for her daily politics newsletter here.
