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Floor Speech
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Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. President, a few weeks ago, I rose in this Chamber in support of the SAVE America Act. I implored my colleagues to listen to the people who put us here, to restore their trust in our elections, to defend the integrity of what John Adams called ``the primary right by which [all] other rights are protected.''
Today, the rubber meets the road. We must continue our debate in front of the American people, and we need to pass this bill. That is why I rise today to dispel the myths peddled by the bill's opponents and to remind us and to remind the American people what it is we are really debating here.
Now, I understand the importance of election integrity more than most. In 2022, I lost my first statewide election by 950 votes--that is about 14 per county--and I won my second statewide election by 15,000 votes out of about 7 million votes cast. These incredibly narrow races show just how important it is that our elections run smoothly, fairly, and that only--only--legitimate votes are counted.
And right now, we cannot pretend that all elections in America meet this standard. In my home State of Pennsylvania, an illegal immigrant named Mahady Sacko was recently indicted for having illegally voted in seven different Federal elections, including the 2024 election. He was not the only one. We have seen similar cases of noncitizens voting across the country. Also in 2024, a Chinese national was caught and charged in Michigan after his ballot had already been processed. And just days ago, a British national was charged in Texas for illegally casting a ballot in the 2024 election.
Now, critics of the SAVE America Act say such cases are rare, but in 2024, two--two--of the five swing State Senate races were decided by less than 0.3 of a percentage point, and the other three races were decided by 2 percentage points or less. The key point here is it doesn't take that many illegal votes to swing an election and, by doing so, to change the course of history.
And--and this is a big ``and''--because an additional 10 million illegal immigrants entered the country during the Biden administration--that is undisputed--that risk has risen dramatically. Therefore, it is no surprise--it is no surprise at all--that more than half of Americans say they are deeply concerned about the integrity and the fairness of our elections. And it is also no surprise that the American people are demanding we do something about it. They are demanding a change.
And so, to my colleagues: As stewards of our constitutional order, we have a duty. We have a duty to root out the source of this distrust and restore the integrity and the confidence in our democratic process, and that is why I support the SAVE America Act, and it is why I hope that we can gain support from across the aisle with our Democratic colleagues as well to support this incredibly important piece of legislation.
This bill does one thing--one thing. It ensures that only American citizens cast ballots in American elections, and it does so through a number of measures. First, it requires documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. It requires standardizing the list of acceptable documents that prove such citizenship. It creates an alternative process for applicants who lack such documentation. It requires photo ID when casting a ballot, and it mandates ongoing roll maintenance to remove noncitizens, allowing States to use Federal databases for verification. And it strengthens enforcement and penalties against officials who knowingly register noncitizens.
These are commonsense measures. So basic, so reasonable, and most importantly, most importantly, the American people support them. Voter ID is an 80-20 issue. There are not that many 80-20 issues. This is an 80-20 issue. The Pew Research Center found that 95 percent of Republicans and 71 percent of Democrats support it. Meanwhile-- meanwhile--only 22 percent of Americans oppose requiring proof of citizenship to register for Federal elections. And that conclusion was from a recent Washington Post-ABC News-IPSOS poll, just last month-- just last month. The American people have spoken. Bottom line: The American people understand the problem, and they support the solution of the SAVE America Act.
Now, since I last rose in support of the SAVE America Act, President Trump has proposed three additional measures. These include the limiting of mail-in ballots to those who are sick, disabled, serving in the military, traveling, or otherwise experiencing hardship, keeping men out of women's sports, and protecting children from transgender mutilation surgeries. I support each of these efforts, and I support Senator Schmitt's amendment incorporating them.
Yesterday, I also voted for the Tuberville-Blackburn amendment which would have further protected women's sports, but again, the Democrats blocked this commonsense effort. These additions make a strong bill stronger, but the overall purpose--the overall purpose--and the reason I first rose in support of this legislation is restoring the people's faith in our elections. That is what the SAVE America Act does, that is what it is all about, and that is why I support it.
Now, I continue to hear a lot of misleading claims about this bill, and I would like to address a few of them directly right here and right now. Myth 1: that the bill disenfranchises women who change their names at marriage. False. If you are already registered, this bill requires nothing of you. For those registering for the first time or reregistering after a move, the bill explicitly directs States to accommodate name discrepancies. Applicants can sign a sworn statement, submit supporting evidence, and have an election official certify their citizenship. The bill anticipates the challenge and provides a solution.
Myth 2: that voters must bring proof of citizenship, like a birth certificate, to the polls. False. Proof of citizenship is required only at registration. On election day, a standard photo ID suffices. This includes a driver's license, a State ID, a military ID, or a passport. We ask Americans--we ask all of us--to show an ID to board a plane or to buy a beer. Asking the same to protect the ballot is not a burden; it is a basic, fundamental civic responsibility.
Myth 3: Voter ID suppresses turnout. The argument is that this bill-- as some have called it--is a Jim Crow 2.0. This is false. There is no evidence that voter ID suppresses turnout. In fact, a 2021 National Bureau of Economic Research study analyzed a full decade--an entire decade--of data and found voter ID laws have no negative effect on registration or turnout. Let me repeat that: no negative effect on registration or turnout. A 2006 study by the Crime Prevention Research Center went further. Fraud prevention measures actually increase participation. And when my good friend Governor Kemp of Georgia enacted a voter ID law in 2021, the State turnout records in 2022 and again in 2024 were alltime highs.
These facts are pesky things. But despite the facts and despite the support of the American people, many Democrats have stood against this act from the very beginning. The reason: They fundamentally oppose requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote and voter ID at the polls. It is just a fundamental disagreement. They fundamentally disagree with what 80 percent of the American people agree with. And because they know these principles are so simple, so intuitive, some have decided, sadly, that they cannot defeat this measure with honest debate; and so instead, as is so often the case in Washington, they try to bury it--this legislation and this very idea--in hysteria and misinformation.
Sadly, I have heard this bill smeared as ``one of the most despicable pieces of legislation,'' ``an attack on our sacred right to vote,'' ``a voter suppression bill.'' And the Democratic leadership, before even seeing the specifics of the bill, declared it dead on arrival.
I should be used to it. I am new to Washington, but I should be used to this kind of performative language, this kind of escalation I see on the left. It is simply petty--petty political theater. It is wrong, it is disgraceful, and it is unworthy. This kind of rhetoric is unworthy of the serious attention, the honest debate, and the thoughtful action that is required on such an important and such a fundamental issue.
The facts around this issue are clear. Fact 1: The American people are worried about the integrity of their elections and rightly so. Fact 2: The American people overwhelmingly--overwhelmingly--support voter ID and citizenship requirements to ensure that only American citizens cast ballots in American elections. Fact 3: These are the core features-- these are the core features of the SAVE America Act. Fact 4: There are abundant, readily available ways to get the proper documents or meet the requirements to ease access for all those who are qualified to vote. The bill expects that. It protects that. Fact 5: This Chamber can and must work together in a bipartisan manner to address this critical concern of the American people. It is possible. Don't believe this is not possible.
We just did it. We just did it with the ROAD to Housing Act last week.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a problem. We have a problem with voter confidence. We have a problem with voter integrity. The American people want it fixed, and the SAVE America Act is a commonsense and effective solution for addressing this problem.
For all these many reasons, I implore my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in supporting the SAVE America Act.
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