Hawley’s Criticism of GOP Senators on Voter ID Legislation
Senator Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) expressed frustration towards four fellow Republicans who sided with Democrats to block the Protecting American Voters’ Eligibility Act (SAVE) from being included in the Senate’s reconciliation bill. He remarked, “I can’t explain why you’re not voting on voter ID.”
During a recent vote, Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and Representative Thom Tillis (R-Ky.) voted together with Democrats, effectively defeating a measure that aimed to establish election integrity within the Republican budget proposal.
“It’s frustrating,” Hawley stated to FOX News Digital. “We’ve been implementing this in Missouri for years. Voters in my state even placed it in the constitution.”
Hawley highlighted that voter ID is a popular issue, stating, “There’s a reason for that. People want elections to be secure and fair.” He struggled to understand the reasoning behind the lack of support for voter ID legislation.
Despite extensive discussions, Republicans failed to advance the bill in the Senate, even as they stressed the necessity of embedding it into a $70 billion budget reconciliation package aimed at funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Security.
Many senators who voted against the SAVE Act contended that decisions on voter ID laws should belong to the individual states rather than being dictated on a federal level. However, Hawley countered this view, asserting Congress has a historical role in regulating federal elections. He argued that protecting ballot integrity is fundamental to the election process.
“We create federal rules for elections all the time,” he emphasized. “There’s nothing more essential.”
The SAVE Act aims to mandate that individuals provide proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote and require voters to present photo identification when casting their ballots in federal elections.
Hawley mentioned that 37 states currently have voter ID laws, indicating that this is common practice even in states traditionally considered “blue.” He concluded by stating that he believes the American public will eventually demand these changes.
