Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, reaffirmed her opposition Tuesday to the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, also known as the SAVE America Act, ahead of an upcoming Senate vote.
"I'm not prepared to go down this uncertain and ill-defined path that we're looking at," Murkowski said of the bill.
She also dismissed a call by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, for Republican leadership to force a standing filibuster to ensure the bill's passage.
"He knows he doesn't have the 60 votes, so it's not going to pass," Murkowski said.
She initially voiced her opposition last month to the legislation, which would require Americans to prove U.S. citizenship when registering to vote and to show identification at the polls, among other measures.
"When 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," Murkowski said.
"Now, I'm seeing proposals such as the SAVE [America] Act and MEGA [the Make Elections Great Again Act] that would effectively do just that. Once again, I do not support these efforts," she said.
"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.
She said imposing new federal requirements just months before Election Day would negatively impact election integrity.
"Ensuring public trust in our elections is at the core of our democracy, but federal overreach is not how we achieve this," Murkowski said.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., has also voiced opposition to the SAVE America Act.
Other Republican senators are frustrated with a provision in the bill that would eliminate no-excuse absentee voting, The Hill reported.
"I think it's problematic because in some of these states, 60 or 70% of people vote by mail," a Republican senator who requested anonymity told The Hill. "You don't want to disenfranchise them.
"Some states have really encouraged it over the years."
Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and John Curtis of Utah are also considering opposing the bill, sources told The Hill.
With Democrats united in opposition, the bill will be unable to overcome the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a legislative filibuster.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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