A new Gallup poll finds that more than a third of Democrats and nearly half of independents are worried about “people who are ineligible to vote casting ballots in U.S. elections.” Yet Senate Democrats (and a few RINOS) continue to block legislation to address those very concerns.
The poll, conducted with the Charles F. Kettering Foundation, found that 53 percent of all adults are worried about “people who are ineligible to vote casting ballots in U.S. elections.” When broken down among party lines, 78 percent of Republicans share that concern along with 36 percent of Democrats and 48 percent of independents. The poll also found 57 percent of all adults are worried about “ballots not being properly handled, counted or secured.” Sixty-six percent of Republicans, 52 percent of Democrats, and 54 percent of independents share that concern.
The survey was conducted via the web and mail between April 24 and June 10 amongst more than 23,000 adults.
These concerns only serve as more reason for the Senate to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act. The legislation would, in part, require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo ID to cast a ballot.
But after passing the House, the legislation has stalled in the Senate, where Democrats and some Republicans refuse to support it. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer even declared the bill “dead on arrival” and branded it as Jim Crow despite widespread public concerns about election integrity issues that could be addressed by such legislation. But that opposition isn’t new.
It’s the same position Democrats took during their earlier push to federalize elections vis-à-vis H.R.1, which would have required states that do have voter ID laws to accept voters’ signed affidavits attesting under penalty of perjury that they are who they say they are, while the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would have required certain voter ID requirements get additional federal review. In other words, Democrats currently refusing to vote for the SAVE America Act have also previously targeted existing photo ID requirements, all while claiming they do not actually oppose voter ID.
In fact, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., recently struggled to explain that position — that is, claiming to support voter ID but also opposing the SAVE America Act — during an ABC News interview. Warner indicated he supports voter ID in principle but would not support legislation that actually makes such a requirement law.
But such a photo ID provision would prevent instances in which ineligible persons cast a ballot in someone else’s name — a concern of many. Take for example the experience of Mike Miner, a New York voter who went to cast a ballot in the 2024 general election but was informed he had already voted at a separate polling location. Miner was given a provisional ballot, and a bipartisan team at the Dutchess County Board of Elections investigated the situation and found the signature provided by the first “vote” did not match Miner’s actual signature. The board decided that Miner’s affidavit ballot would count — but so did the fraudulent vote cast in Miner’s name.
Then there’s the 2020 case involving Ralph Thurman. Thurman voted in person as himself. He then asked a poll worker whether he needed ID, and, after being told no, he asked if he could vote for his son. The worker informed Thurman it was illegal. Nonetheless, Thurman returned some time later wearing a hat and sunglasses and cast a vote for his son. He was recognized by a poll worker and charged. Then there is the case of Vincent Marzello, who voted under his own name with ID in 2016 but then registered his alter ego, Helen Elisabeth Ashley, to vote and later voted under that alias since he signed an affidavit attesting his identity.
All of these fraudulent incidents could have been prevented had photo ID been in place.
The SAVE America Act’s proof-of-citizenship requirement is also just as crucial and would address voters’ concerns about ineligible voters casting ballots. Noncitizen voting is already illegal, but the only thing standing between noncitizens and our free and fair elections is a tiny square box on a federal registration form that requires prospective voters to attest under penalty of perjury that they are citizens. In other words, the honor system.
This honor system has resulted in thousands of noncitizens making it on the voter rolls across states like New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California, Nevada, and others. The SAVE America Act would amend the 1993 National Voter Registration Act to require documentary proof of citizenship.
If the new Gallup poll shows anything, it’s that Senate Democrats and RINOs aren’t listening to what the people actually want.
