WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans who are pushing strict proof-of-citizenship legislation are trying to frame the debate in simple terms — If you have to show a photo ID to get on a plane or check out a book at a library, shouldn’t you show ID to vote?
As Republicans debated the bill on the Senate floor, touted by President Donald Trump as crucial to winning the midterm elections, they argued that Democrats were completely opposed to the idea.
“It feels like the only Americans who don’t support voter ID requirements are Democrats in Congress,” said Majority Leader John Thune, who said they either oppose it because it’s a Republican proposal or “Democrats believe that people are actually voting illegally and that it benefits Democrats.”
But Democrats say they are not entirely opposed to voter identification at the polls, despite longstanding concerns.
“As Democrats, what we are opposed to is not photo ID,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said this week when asked about possible talks with Republicans on a bill that would require voters to show a specific form of identification at the polls. “Our objection is that this is a voter suppression bill.”
Democrats who are expected to block the bill say they have larger concerns about new voter registration requirements in the legislation — the Securing American Voter Eligibility Act, also known as the Save America Act or the Rescue Act.
Because most photo IDs do not indicate citizenship, voters who want to register must go to an election office in person with their passport, birth certificate, or other approved document. The legislation would also allow the Department of Homeland Security to access state voter rolls for review.
People could show up at polling places and be told, “You’ve lost,” Schumer said.
Democrats propose relaxing, not eliminating, voter ID laws
While Schumer suggested he could support voter ID, he gave no specifics.
Asked if he was willing to negotiate with Republicans on voter ID, Schumer responded: “You have to define it clearly, correctly, and easily.” He did not elaborate.
Democrats have said for years that requiring identification at the polls could disenfranchise voters, especially those with less money and education. But four years ago, when they introduced their own voting bill with a majority vote, they did not propose repealing state ID laws.
Instead, Democrats proposed at the time relaxing ID laws in some states to ensure voters who lacked identification could sign a sworn statement to prove their identity or allow other forms of identification, such as utility bills.
Matt Weil of the Bipartisan Policy Center said Democrats generally support the idea of voter ID “as long as there is an option.”
It is rare for non-citizens to vote illegally. Still, an August 2025 Pew Research Center poll found that about 8 in 10 U.S. adults said they favor requiring all voters to show a government-issued photo ID to vote.
Ware said Americans support voter ID, “but there’s a lot of ambiguity. And it may not be the rigorous voter ID that Republicans are pushing for in this bill.”
Republicans said there should be no ambiguity.
Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson said during a debate this week that the Save America Act “will make it harder to cheat because Americans don’t want their legal votes to be nullified by fraudulent votes.”
Most states already require voters to provide ID
Thirty-six states have some kind of law requiring ID to vote, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. As of last year, NCSL reported that 23 states required photo ID and 13 states accepted non-photo ID.
The Save America Act would require photo ID and could replace many forms of ID allowed in states across the country, including fishing and hunting licenses or college IDs. It also requires people who vote by mail to attach a copy of their ID to their ballot, which could create new problems for states that don’t review and process those copies.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said he supports Virginia’s voter ID law, which is less stringent than what the bill calls for. “We have voter ID laws, most states do,” Kaine said. “So why does there have to be a federal solution?”
Some Democrats have suggested using a national ID card to show proof of citizenship and making it free for all citizens.
“If there is real evidence that non-citizen voting is widespread, we need to look at ways to prevent that from happening,” said Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen. “We have to come up with some form of required identification to address that.”
