Trump Promises Easier Voting
President Donald Trump assured Americans on Thursday that voting would become easier once citizens were required to find additional documents, make photocopies and complete more government errands before receiving a ballot. In a 24-minute prime-time address, he urged Congress to pass the stalled SAVE America Act, which would require documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration, photo identification at polling places and identification copies with absentee ballot applications and completed ballots.
“Congress must pass the Save America Act. How easy is that to do unless you want to cheat? The only reason you wouldn’t do it is you want to cheat,” Trump said. The proposal, he argued, would protect election integrity by ensuring that every eligible voter has several opportunities to demonstrate eligibility to clerks, websites and photocopiers. Under this approach, access expands in proportion to the number of administrative steps placed between a citizen and the voting booth.
Americans without readily available passports, birth certificates or compliant identification would retain the right to vote after obtaining replacement records, paying applicable fees and visiting government offices during business hours. They could also use online systems, provided those systems recognize their addresses, accept their passwords and do not object to punctuation in a mother’s maiden name. Supporters describe these requirements as ordinary safeguards, while critics note that citizens do not all possess the same documents, schedules, transportation or tolerance for printer error messages.
The bill remains stalled in the Senate, where Majority Leader John Thune has said Republicans lack enough votes to overcome a Democratic filibuster. The disagreement has left Congress divided between lawmakers seeking additional proof at several stages of the voting process and those who believe one valid identification document should generally suffice. The measure remains pending in the Senate.
* None of the quotes in this article were spoken by an actual person. More info.