President Trump says voter ID will be required to vote in midterm elections
In a post on Truth Social, President Trump asserted that voter ID will be required in the midterm elections even if Congress does not approve it.
In a Feb. 13 post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump asserted that voter ID will be required in the upcoming midterm elections, even if Congress does not approve it.
“Democrats are denying voter ID, voting citizenship. The reason is very simple: They want to continue to rig elections. This is not what our founders wanted,” he wrote. “Voter IDs will be issued for the midterm elections, with or without Congressional approval. And our people have insisted on their citizenship and will not vote by mail, with exceptions such as military, disability, illness, and travel.”
House Republicans passed a bill on February 11th that would require voters to prove their U.S. citizenship ahead of the midterm elections. However, the bill is expected to face significant opposition in the Senate.
An earlier version of the bill failed to gain support in both chambers last year. This latest iteration builds on the 2024 version by adding voter ID provisions and would need 60 votes to pass.
The law, the SAVE America Act, requires proof of citizenship to be submitted “in person” when registering to vote in federal elections and adds an additional requirement for voters to present an approved form of photo identification in order to vote. It also creates new rules for voting by mail, requiring Americans to send a copy of their ID when requesting and submitting a ballot.
Republicans say voter ID requirements protect election integrity, while Democrats say they would disenfranchise millions of Americans.
According to the Brennan Center for Justice, more than 21 million Americans do not have easy access to a passport or birth certificate.
“Nearly half of Americans do not even have a passport, and millions of people do not have access to a paper copy of their birth certificate. The SAVE Act would disenfranchise Americans of all ages and races, but young voters and voters of color would disproportionately suffer,” the law states.
Similarly, the Brennan Center warns that millions of women whose married names do not match the names on their birth certificates or passports will have to take additional steps to make their voices heard.
Still, a recent poll by the Pew Research Center found that bipartisan majorities support photo ID requirements. About 83% of Americans support requiring all voters to show a government-issued photo ID to vote, including 95% of Republicans and 71% of Democrats.
Contributor: Katherine Palmer
