Senate Democrats have once again rejected a federal voter identification requirement, a move Republicans say will become a liability for the minority party heading into the 2026 midterms given how common and popular the practice already is nationwide.
The latest push came as part of a bill pairing voter ID with a ban on congressional stock trading, months after an earlier Republican effort, the SAVE America Act, stalled in the Senate. That bill, a priority for President Donald Trump, was repeatedly blocked by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who called it “Jim Crow 2.0” and argued it would disenfranchise Black and Brown voters.
Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., offered a blunter explanation for the opposition. “Democrats are gonna vote against it because they don’t want to give the president a win,” Banks told Fox News Digital. “They don’t want to give Republicans a win. They’ll screw the country and stuff.”
A Practice Already Common in the States
Thirty-six states already require some form of identification to vote. Of those, 23 require photo ID, while 13 accept alternative documentation, such as a bank statement. Nine of the 36 states are represented by Democratic senators.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., pointed to his own state as an example of a voter ID law already functioning with public support, questioning the need for a federal standard. “We already have it,” Kaine told Fox News Digital. “I mean, Virginia has a voter ID law that our citizens really like. Virtually every state has a voter ID law. So, what, there has to be a one size fits all federal thing for states [that] are already doing this?”
Schumer himself has claimed Democrats are not opposed to the concept. “Democrats support voter ID,” he said on a press call earlier this year. “In fact, we included it, and it is included, in our Freedom to Vote legislation several years ago.”
Republicans Call the Resistance Hypocritical
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., rejected the idea that Democrats are acting in good faith on the issue, suggesting the opposition serves a political purpose. “Well, it’s evident Democrats want to make it easier to cheat,” Barrasso told Fox News Digital. “Republicans want to make it easier to vote, make sure nobody’s cheating. And that’s where we are on this voter ID, an 80/20 issue or not even more.”
Barrasso noted that identification is required for everyday activities, including boarding a plane and buying alcohol, and argued it is even required to enter some campaign events held by Democratic candidates this cycle. “They’re complete hypocrites on this,” he said. “But [what] we need to do is elect more Republicans to be able to win these elections and make sure we have people here that see what the American people see, which is, you have to have a photo ID to vote.”
With most states already enforcing some identification requirement at the ballot box, Republicans are betting the issue will resonate with voters across party lines as the midterm campaign intensifies.
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