A Republican senator who has a well-earned reputation for breaking away from President Donald Trump and the GOP agenda, has come out and stated openly that she will not support efforts to pass legislation requiring voters to provide identification proving their citizenship before being allowed to vote. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) stated in a post on social media platform X that she would be opposing an upcoming election integrity bill that has already been supported by the president and other conservatives in the Senate.
This latest move by Murkowski is, according to other conservatives serving in the government, emphasizing their belief that unless they nuke the filibuster or somehow gaining support from Democrats, the effort to put in place a nationwide voter ID law is already dead in its tracks. The Alaskan Republican slammed a pair of bills — the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility Act, otherwise known as the SAVE Act, and the Make Elections Great Again (MEGA) Act — that are currently on their way through the House of Representatives.
Murkowski pointed out that when congressional Democrats “attempted to advance sweeping election reform legislation in 2021, Republicans were unanimous in opposition because it would have federalized elections, something we have long opposed.” She added, “Now, I’m seeing proposals such as the SAVE Act and MEGA that would effectively do just that. Once again, I do not support these efforts.”
Democrats under the Biden administration attempted to pass two election reform bills, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the For the People Act, but failed in both efforts, according to Fox News. Congressional Republicans came out both barrels blazing against both bills, making the case that they would nationalize elections and give Democrats control over the election system across the nation.
According to Fox, the effort by Republicans to preserve the integrity of American elections also faces problems with the Constitution, which gives power and authority concerning elections to state and local officials, limiting the federal government’s input on such matters. “Not only does the U.S. Constitution clearly provide states the authority to regulate the ‘times, places, and manner’ of holding federal elections, but one-size-fits-all mandates from Washington, D.C., seldom work in places like Alaska,” Murkowski continued.
“Election Day is fast approaching,” the Alaskan senator added. “Imposing new federal requirements now, when states are deep into their preparations, would negatively impact election integrity by forcing election officials to scramble to adhere to new policies, likely without the necessary resources. Ensuring public trust in our elections is at the core of our democracy, but federal overreach is not how we achieve this.”
Murkowski is not the only member of the GOP who is opposed to nationalizing elections. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has also expressed his opposition to Trump’s call for support of a nationwide voter ID law. However, public opposition to the bill among GOP voters is nearly nonexistent. Fox News pointed out that the bill is likely to die since the 60-vote filibuster threshold is impossible to overcome without having the support of Senate Democrats.
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