Bill Maher and Stephen A. Smith criticize Chuck Schumer for saying the voter ID bill is racist

Concerns Raised Over Voter ID Law Comments

On a recent episode of “Straight Shooter with Stephen A.,” SiriusXM host Stephen A. Smith and comedian Bill Maher cautioned Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer against labeling the American Voter Eligibility Protection Act (SAVE) as racist. Schumer had called the SAVE Act, which mandates proof of citizenship for federal voting, “nothing short of Jim Crow 2.0” during a speech on the Senate floor.

Smith and Maher seemed to think Schumer’s comments might backfire, potentially helping former President Donald Trump instead. “Stop exaggerating like that,” Smith stated. “We’re living in 2026, and when you start bringing up Jim Crow 2.0, you’re going back to an era that most people would recognize as problematic.” He acknowledged existing issues but argued that such comparisons play directly into Trump’s narrative. He was uncertain if he articulated his thoughts clearly.

Maher added that while racial issues are often present, not every discussion needs to frame everything as a racial dilemma. He pointed to past comments made by President Biden regarding voting in Georgia, emphasizing that post-election surveys revealed that many Black voters felt the voting process was not flawed. This led him to suggest that exaggerating such claims could backfire.

In 2021, Georgia implemented a law that restricted absentee voting and increased ID requirements, despite opposition from Democrats. Interestingly, the state experienced record voter turnout in the following elections, even as Major League Baseball relocated the All-Star Game from Atlanta to Denver as a protest against the law.

CNN’s chief data analyst, Harry Enten, mentioned that both whites and people of color generally support requiring photo IDs for voting. He highlighted statistics showing that 85% of white Americans, 82% of Latinos, and 76% of Black Americans favor such measures, indicating that voter ID laws might not be as divisive as some suggest.

Enten concluded by stating that voter ID is not a controversial topic across the country and that it transcends party lines and racial divides. He noted that in a 2021 press conference, Biden compared Republican voting efforts to “making Jim Crow look like Jim Eagle.”