The U.S. Senate started what’s expected to be a multi-day debate Tuesday on legislation that would add strict new requirements to vote in federal elections.
Republicans, including Sens. Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville, voted to advance the SAVE America Act, as President Donald Trump continues his crusade to encourage lawmakers to pass the elections bill ahead of the midterms.
“The Save America Act is one of the most IMPORTANT & CONSEQUENTIAL pieces of legislation in the history of Congress, and America itself,” Trump said in a Truth Social post ahead of the vote.
The initial vote was 51-48, with Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joining Democrats to oppose the procedural step. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who is also against the bill, did not vote.
The SAVE America Act is expected to take up an extended amount of floor time as Senate Republicans look to bring attention to the bill. The measure would require Americans to show documentary proof, such as a passport or birth certificate, to register to vote in federal elections.
“It’s an important debate to have because it is an issue that is at the very core of elections in this country,” Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters.
A photo ID would also be required to vote under the legislation. Most states, like Alabama, already require identification to cast a ballot.
“Proud to vote to advance the SAVE America Act! Let’s get this done,” Britt said in a social media post shortly after Tuesday’s vote.
But the Senate isn’t expected to use the talking filibuster or completely nuke the legislative practice that requires 60 votes to advance bills to passage in the upper chamber because Republicans simply don’t have the votes to do that, Thune has emphasized. Britt and Tuberville have both expressed support for the talking filibuster to try and pass the SAVE America Act.
Keeping the filibuster intact means the bill is likely to fail even after a marathon debate with all Democrats opposed to the measure. Senate Democrats argue the measure will disenfranchise millions of voters by adding additional requirements for Americans casting their ballots.
Even Tuberville, a staunch supporter of the bill to “secure our elections,” acknowledged on X that the legislation “is dead in the water” if there isn’t any change to the filibuster.
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., will introduce an amendment to the bill to add Trump’s priorities to the measure. The new provisions would end mail-in voting with exceptions for military, illness, travel, and disability, prohibit transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports, and ban gender reassignment surgeries for minors.
On Tuesday, the Southern Poverty Law Center urged senators to oppose the SAVE America Act, warning it would “erect significant barriers to ballot access.”
The organization highlighted that more than 146 million people don’t have a passport, one of the documents that can show citizenship status. In the Deep South in Alabama and Mississippi, fewer than 30% of residents have a valid passport, SPLC noted.