Senator Majority Leader John Thune, R-SD, is weighing how to proceed with a historic election integrity bill that would check off a priority on conservatives’ list that has been decades in the making.
The SAVE Act, which was narrowly passed by the House and now awaits a vote in the Senate, would require a photo ID to vote and proof of citizenship. The bill earned its 50th supporter in the Senate earlier this week as Senator Susan Collins, R-ME announced her support for it.
“I support the version of the SAVE America Act that recently passed the House,” Collins said in a statement. “The law is clear that in this country, only American citizens are eligible to vote in federal elections,” she said.
With the bill having passed the House and having majority support in the Senate, it still faces one crucial hurdle, the ‘zombie filibuster’.
While Thune has expressed support for the SAVE Act, he has been ambivalent about whether he would support forcing Democrats to do a ‘talking filibuster’, where Democratic Senators have to speak continuously to block a floor vote.
Some of Thune’s Senate Republican colleagues, such as Senator Mike Lee, R-UT have gone so far as to say Thune would achieve “hero status” if he gets the bill across the finish line. (RELATED: Robin Vos Announces Retirement After Decades Leading Wisconsin Assembly)
If Thune lifted the zombie filibuster, he may enjoy broad support from the electorate as well, with a Pew Research survey found that 83% of Americans support requiring photo ID to vote.
Senator John Fetterman, D-PA who has sometimes crossed the aisle to vote with Republicans on key issues, indicated that he is sympathetic to the SAVE Act, but has not yet committed to voting for it.
“It’s not like a radical idea,” Fetterman said. “It’s not something — and there already are many states that show basic IDs. So that’s where we are in the Senate.” (RELATED: Top Wisconsin Liberal Donor Mentioned in Epstein Files 2,000+ Times)
