Senate Democrats have once again blocked a Republican push to require voter identification nationwide, reviving a fight that both parties say could shape the midterm elections.
The latest GOP measure combined a federal voter ID requirement with a separate, widely popular proposal to ban members of Congress from trading individual stocks. Republicans say pairing the two was meant to make the bill harder to oppose, but Democrats rejected it anyway, months after also blocking the SAVE America Act, a voter ID bill that was a top priority for President Donald Trump.
Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., argued the opposition is political rather than principled. “Democrats are gonna vote against it because they don’t want to give the president a win,” Banks told Fox News Digital. “They don’t want to give Republicans a win. They’ll screw the country and stuff.”
Democrats say they already support ID requirements
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has said in the past that Democrats are not opposed to voter ID itself, only to the Republican version of it. Earlier this year, Schumer called the SAVE America Act “Jim Crow 2.0,” arguing it would disenfranchise Black and Brown voters.
“Democrats support voter ID. In fact, we included it, and it is included, in our Freedom to Vote legislation several years ago,” Schumer said on a press call.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., made a similar point, saying a federal mandate is unnecessary because states already require identification at the polls. “We already have it,” Kaine told Fox News Digital. “I mean, Virginia has a voter ID law that our citizens really like. Virtually every state has a voter ID law. So, what, there has to be a one size fits all federal thing for states [that] are already doing this?”
Where the requirement already exists
Voter identification is currently required in 36 states. Of those, 23 require a photo ID, while 13 accept other forms of identification, such as a bank statement. Nine of the states with an ID requirement are represented by Democratic senators.
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., rejected the idea that Democrats’ resistance is about protecting voters, suggesting instead it is meant to preserve an advantage for Democratic candidates. “Well, it’s evident Democrats want to make it easier to cheat,” Barrasso told Fox News Digital. “Republicans want to make it easier to vote, make sure nobody’s cheating. And that’s where we are on this voter ID, an 80/20 issue or not even more.”
Barrasso pointed to everyday situations where identification is already required, including boarding a flight or buying alcohol, and said some Democratic candidates have even required ID to get into their own campaign events. “They’re complete hypocrites on this,” Barrasso said. “But [what] we need to do is elect more Republicans to be able to win these elections and make sure we have people here that see what the American people see, which is, you have to have a photo ID to vote.”
The dispute is likely to remain a flashpoint heading into the midterms, with Republicans betting that broad public support for identification requirements will work in their favor at the ballot box.
