Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman said on Wednesday that he will never vote for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act in its current form.
Fetterman said on “The Takeout with Major Garrett” that he is against restrictions on mail-in voting, arguing that it is safe and has even been supported by Republicans. The SAVE Act would require all Americans to show proof of citizenship with documentation in person before voting, which would largely impact mail-based and online voter registration.
“I don’t support [it] in its current state to vote Save America. And the president is constantly critical on mail-in voting, and that’s ridiculous,” Fetterman said. “It’s safe. Some of the best examples in the country are from red states like Ohio and Florida, of course. And now I have a unique perspective on that too, as in 2019, as I was lieutenant governor, the Republicans in Pennsylvania pushed for mail-in voting.”
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Fetterman acknowledged that most Americans support some form of voter identification and stated he would vote for legislation that required Americans to show ID before voting. He also argued that the legislation will never pass the filibuster.
“So if the Republicans would ever just make it showing basic state ID to vote, hey, I’m not going to tell 83% of Americans that they’re wrong or that they are Jim Crow. And also the reason why the SAVE Act will never pass, because the filibuster,” Fetterman continued.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Wednesday that he does not have the Republican votes to use a talking filibuster to ensure the legislation passes. Under this approach, Republicans can wear down opposition through continuous debate and enforcement of the Senate’s two-speech rule, which limits each senator to two speeches on the same legislative question per day.
President Donald Trump, who has expressed support for the bill, called on Thune to gather the necessary votes to pass the election integrity legislation.
Republican Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, John Kennedy of Louisiana and others have opposed using a talking filibuster.
The Save Act passed the House in a 218-213 vote on Feb. 12, with Democratic Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar being the only Democrat to vote in favor of the legislation.
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