A Democratic senator let slip what Republicans have argued for years: stricter election laws would hurt her party at the ballot box.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) admitted in a video that the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act would make it “hard for any Democrat in any state to win any election.” The footage, recorded June 6 at Indiana’s state Democratic Party gathering, surfaced publicly this week and set off immediate backlash from Republican lawmakers.
Slotkin made the remarks the day after the Senate narrowly killed the SAVE America Act in a 48-50 vote. Four Republicans crossed the aisle to join every Democrat in defeating the measure. The bill would have required documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote, photo identification to cast a ballot in federal elections, and directed states to take additional steps to purge noncitizens from voter rolls.
“It would be hard for any Democrat in any state to win any election,” Slotkin said, celebrating the legislation’s defeat.
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Slotkin did not explain how a law requiring citizens to prove they are citizens would harm Democratic candidates.
Republican members of Congress did not hold back.
“Democrats are saying the quiet part out loud,” Rep. Tony Wied wrote on X Tuesday. “They know they can’t win on their own merit.”
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) rejected Slotkin’s separate claim that the bill would suppress married women voters. “This talking point from the Left is not only false, but it also paints women as incapable, which we all know is not the case,” Paul wrote. “Showing up to the polls to vote with an ID that proves you’re an American citizen, whether you’re married or not, is common sense. We need to pass the SAVE America Act.”
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) pointed to the logic gap in Slotkin’s argument. “By that same logic, no married woman in America could fill out an I-9 form, which every American must do when starting a new job,” Lee wrote. “This is absurd. And it highlights why we need to pass the SAVE America Act.”
President Trump has pushed the SAVE America Act as his top legislative priority on election integrity. He refused to sign a housing bill last Friday specifically to protest Congress failing to pass the voter ID measure. During his Feb. 24 State of the Union address, Trump argued Democrats block voter ID laws because “the only way they can get elected is to cheat.”
The White House dismissed Slotkin’s claims. Requiring proof of citizenship to vote and photo ID at the polls are standard safeguards supported by large majorities of Americans across party lines.
The bill’s defeat in June left a 48-50 wound in Republican ranks, with four GOP senators siding against the measure. With Slotkin’s remarks now circulating, pressure on holdout Republicans to revisit the vote is expected to intensify.
This article originally appeared on American Faith and is reposted with permission.
