The SAVE America Act, expected to pass Wednesday in the House, will likely face a steeper battle in the Senate, where Democrat support will be needed and where some chamber Republicans have voiced doubts about the measure, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks told Newsmax on Wednesday.
"Certainly, we know that you have to have 60 votes in the Senate in order to pass a piece of legislation," the Iowa Republican said on Newsmax's "Wake Up America Early." "So you have to have some Democrat senators in order to pass this legislation."
The legislation, which revisits a prior SAVE Act passed by the House, would require voters to prove citizenship and provide identification when registering to vote in federal elections and would end mail-in voter registration.
Miller-Meeks said that the bill is built on rules already used in much of the country, adding that 36 states already require some form of voter ID, including in Iowa, where the rule was upheld by the state's Supreme Court.
She said election integrity laws have not reduced participation in her state.
"Every single time we've passed election integrity laws, we haven't had a reduction in votes cast," Miller-Meeks said. "We've actually had more votes cast, so we have record voter turnout when it comes to our elections, both in the midterms and in the presidential years."
Miller-Meeks also argued the SAVE America Act is tailored to avoid broader federal control of elections.
"I do think it's appropriate to address constitutional issues," she said. "This is very tailored. It is only in federal elections, and it requires voter ID and proof of citizenship."
She contrasted the measure with what she described as past Democrat efforts following the 2020 election.
"As we know, when I first got into Congress after the 2020 elections, the Democrats put forward a very vast voter law, election integrity law, which actually was federalized in elections," Miller-Meeks said.
She said Americans routinely meet documentation requirements in other settings, including for certain jobs.
"When I was director of public health and state government, I had to show proof of citizenship," Miller-Meeks noted.
The bill is also needed to strengthen confidence in close elections, the congresswoman said, citing her own 2020 race and a local example.
"I think it's important to protect our elections and for people to have the confidence that their vote matters and their vote counts," she said. "I won my first election in 2020 by six votes."
"We had a mayoral election in one of the towns in my district that, after being tied, was decided by picking a name out of the hat," Miller-Meeks added. "So even one vote that's cast illegitimately or illegally can affect an election turnout."
She added that Republicans are trying to keep election administration primarily with states.
"As Republicans, we don't want to federalize elections," she said. "It is the constitutional purview of states to do it. But this is very narrow."
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