A new Harvard-Harris survey finds overwhelming support among Americans for requiring a valid photo ID and proof of citizenship to vote, with majorities in both parties backing the idea even as Democratic lawmakers generally oppose such measures.
According to the poll, 82 percent of respondents overall said voters should have to show a valid ID to vote. That support cuts across party lines: 95 percent of Republicans, 73 percent of Democrats, and 78 percent of independents agreed.
On the question of requiring proof of citizenship to vote, 79 percent of all respondents were in favor, while 21 percent opposed. Broken down by party, 95 percent of Republicans, 66 percent of Democrats, and 75 percent of independents supported the requirement.
The survey also asked about “tightening voter ID requirements for the 2026 Congressional midterm elections,” which drew support from 72 percent of respondents overall, including 92 percent of Republicans, 56 percent of Democrats, and 68 percent of independents.
Harvard-Harris conducted the survey September 26-28, 2026, among 2,200 registered voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.1 percent.
Vance Discusses Senate Strategy on Voting Legislation
The poll results came out as Vice President JD Vance revealed that he and President Trump have “war-gamed” a plan to take control of the Senate floor to pass the SAVE America Act, legislation that would require voters to present valid ID and proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections, and would direct states to remove non-citizens from their voter rolls.
Vance said one option under discussion is whether he has the authority, as the Senate’s presiding officer, to fire the Senate parliamentarian. He said he believes he does have that authority, but cautioned that doing so wouldn’t solve the underlying problem.
“There is no shortcut, I think our people want to think the parliamentarian is the problem … the parliamentarian is a bureaucrat … the problem is we have a number of Republican senators who vote more with Democrats than their own party, and that is the issue,” Vance said.
Vance explained that if all 50 Republican senators and the vice president stood together, they could remove the parliamentarian, eliminate the filibuster, and pass the SAVE America Act along with other priorities. But he said four to ten Republicans would likely side with Democrats to block such a move.
“The problem is not who’s in the chair, the problem is four or five Republicans who are going to stand with the Democrats,” Vance said. “We have war-gamed this to every detail and I wanted to do this a few months ago, and we ultimately decided it doesn’t make sense because it’s not going to go anywhere.”
