SAVE Act: securing elections or disenfranchising voters?

Should Americans have to prove citizenship to register to vote?

Senate Republicans are pushing to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act this week, including a key provision that requires proof of citizenship with a passport or birth certificate to register to vote in federal elections. In addition, the SAVE Act would limit mail-in voting, require a photo ID to vote and mandate states to turn over voting rolls to the Department of Homeland Security.   

Republicans argue the reforms are necessary to ensure secure elections and prevent noncitizens from voting. Democrats say noncitizen voting is already illegal and extremely rare – a study by the conservative Heritage Foundation found only 77 confirmed cases over two decades. Democrats also argue that the barriers in the bill would disenfranchise millions of eligible voters across party lines. 

The SAVE Act faces an uphill battle in the Senate. With the filibuster, Republicans need 60 votes to advance the legislation and would need 7 Democrats to sign on. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has said he won’t sign any other legislation until the bill passes.

On this edition of Studio 2, we talk about what’s in the bill, the potential impact and the politics behind it.

Guests:

• Jonathan Tamari – senior Washington reporter for Bloomberg Government
• Sahil Kapur, senior national reporter for NBC