The urgency is palpable as President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress looks to pass the SAVE America Act to secure America’s elections before the midterms.
The SAVE America Act would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and implement nationwide voter ID. President Donald Trump made a forceful call at the State of the Union for Congress to pass the bill, which currently sits in the Senate.
The election integrity provisions of the bill are immensely popular among voters in Ohio.
Support is especially strong among Republicans, Heritage Action’s Stefani Buhajla told The Daily Signal. “86% of Ohio Republicans support the SAVE America Act, and 82% are more likely to back their senators if they vote for it. Fighting for a law that prevents Buckeye State votes from being diluted by ineligible ballots coming out of states that refuse to secure their elections is a no-brainer,” Buhajla said.
7 in 10 Voters Support Proof of Citizenship, Heritage Action Poll Finds
Polling from Heritage Action shows that 71% of voters Ohio voters approve of requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.
Heritage Action also found that 69% of voters in Ohio say those who are not citizens of the United States should not vote in U.S. elections. That includes 76% of Republicans, 65% of Independents, and 66% of Democrats.
Other election integrity provisions to maintain proper voter rolls and ballot eligibility requirements also earn high levels of support. Sixty-nine percent of Ohio voters support requiring states to remove non-citizens from voter registration rolls. An even stronger majority, at 78%, agree on uniform standards, the same number that agree they don’t want their vote “diluted by ineligible ballots.”
The proof of citizenship requirement is an issue that Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, who faces a special election in November, said is “common sense,” and argued how Ohio does it right.
“Requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to vote in U.S. elections is common sense. Ohioans spoke loud and clear on this issue. They support the SAVE America Act by a 40-point margin. In Ohio, we believe in making it easy to vote and hard to cheat. That’s why we already made it state law that Ohioans must present a valid I.D. to vote.” Husted told The Daily Signal.
“The American people do not want a vocal minority of blue states dictating policy for the rest of the nation,” Husted also told The Daily Signal, sharing that he supports the bill “to secure our elections and stop subverting the will of the American people.”
Republican Rep. Dave Taylor, of Ohio’s 2nd Congressional District, found such a finding particularly noteworthy. “The numbers speak for themselves. The fact that 70% of Ohioans support proving U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections sends a clear message that Buckeye voters don’t want illegal immigrants choosing our country’s leaders,” he told The Daily Signal.
Rep. Bob Latta, a Republican from Ohio’s 5th Congressional District, praised the legislation.
“Showing ID is already required to board a plane, rent a car, or check into a hotel, so it makes sense to apply the same standard to federal voting. With 36 states, including Ohio, already requiring some form of voter ID, this bill would establish a consistent nationwide standard while ensuring appropriate safeguards are in place,” he pointed out to The Daily Signal.
Rep. Troy Balderson, a Republican who represents Ohio’s 12th Congressional District, highlighted the importance of only American citizens voting, and suggested Ohio serves as a model for election integrity.
“The right to vote in federal elections belongs to American citizens—and American citizens alone. The SAVE America Act puts basic guardrails in place to ensure that Americans’ voices are protected and our elections remain secure. Ohio has long been a national leader in election integrity, and with this legislation, we ensure all states uphold the same clear, consistent standards,” Balderson told The Daily Signal.
Ohio Democrats Oppose Voter ID Efforts
When the SAVE America Act passed the House this month, Ohio’s 11 House Republicans voted for the bill, while the four Democrats voted against it.
Rep. Joyce Beatty, a Democrat representing Ohio’s 3rd Congressional District, told The Daily Signal that requiring recommended voter ID “would drive up costs for Americans that are already struggling to get by.”
Beatty has election legislation of her own to prevent what she calls “purges” of voter rolls.
“Real reform comes with purposeful policies that expand access to the ballot. That’s why I introduced the Voter Purge Protection Act, to stop unnecessary voter purging and protect eligible voters from being removed from the rolls,” she told The Daily Signal.
Beatty argued that her bill, along with the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act, “do the actual work to strengthen voter protections—instead of weakening them.”
She also claimed that the SAVE America Act upended “progress toward making voter registration accessible and equitable.”
“[Beatty’s] legislation prohibits the removal of individuals from the voter rolls due to changes in residence or not voting in previous elections, unless supported by objective and reliable evidence that the voter has died or moved out of the state, among other protections for registered voters and states administering elections,” a press release from the congresswoman’s office explained.
SAVE America Act Stalling in the Senate?
Conservatives in the Senate, as well as the president, are pushing Republican leadership to use the talking filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act into law. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., however, believes “there just isn’t the support for doing that at this point.”
Both Husted and Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, have sponsored the bill in their chamber.
“This is very simple—if you aren’t an American citizen, you can’t vote here. I’m proud to join [Utah Republican] Sen. Mike Lee in this commonsense reform and frankly shocked that anyone could possibly disagree,” Moreno said.
There was also a question that particularly impacts Husted as he runs against former Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.
Asked if voters would be more likely to support their senators if they voted for the SAVE America Act, 55%, said they were more likely to support their senator, including 37% who said it made them “much more likely.”
“Sen. Husted, who is a co-sponsor of the bill, is clearly differentiating himself from his opponent, who thinks nothing of stripping all integrity from election processes,” Buhajla said.
The poll of 617 likely Ohio voters was conducted February 13-16, with a margin of error of ±3.95 percentage points.
