Democrats say they don’t oppose voter ID, but argue that GOP voting bill is too strict

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans who are pushing a strict proof-of-citizenship legislation have tried to frame the debate in simple terms — if you have to show your photo identification to get on a plane or check out a book at the library, shouldn’t you have to show one to vote?

As Republicans hold the Senate floor to debate the bill, touted by President Donald Trump as essential to winning the midterm elections, they argue that Democrats completely oppose the idea.

“It kind of feels like the only Americans not to support voter ID requirements are Democrats here in Congress,” said Majority Leader John Thune, who said that they either oppose it because it’s a Republican proposal, or “Democrats believe that there are in fact people out there voting illegally and that it’s benefiting Democrats.”

But Democrats say they are not entirely opposed to voter identification at the polls, despite longstanding concerns.

“Our objection as Democrats is not to a photo ID,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said this week, when asked if he might negotiate with Republicans on the bill’s requirement that voters show specified forms of identification when they vote. “Our objection is that it’s a voter suppression bill.”

Democrats, who are expected to block the bill, say they have bigger concerns about new voter-registration requirements in the legislation — the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, also known as the SAVE America Act or the SAVE Act.

Because most forms of photo ID don’t indicate citizenship, voters who want to register would have to show up in person at an election office with a passport, birth certificate or other approved documentation. The legislation would also give the Homeland Security Department access to state voter rolls for review.

People could show up at the polls and be told, “You’re off the rolls,” Schumer said.

Democratic proposals to loosen, not eliminate, voter ID laws

Even as he suggests he could support voter ID, Schumer didn’t give specifics.

Asked if he might be willing to negotiate with Republicans on voter ID, Schumer responded: “You’d have to define it clearly and properly and easily.” He did not elaborate.

Democrats have said for years that requiring identification at the polls could disenfranchise voters, particularly those who have less money and education. But they did not suggest eliminating state ID laws when they proposed their own voting bills in the majority four years ago.

Instead, Democrats at the time proposed loosening some state ID laws, ensuring that voters lacking identification could sign sworn statements to prove their identity or allowing additional forms of identification, such as utility bills.

Democrats are generally supportive of the idea of voter identification, says Matt Weil of the Bipartisan Policy Center, “as long as there are options.”

Illegal voting by noncitizens is rare. Still, a poll by the Pew Research Center in August 2025 found that about 8 in 10 US adults said they favor requiring all voters to show government-issued photo identification to vote.

Americans back voter ID, Weil says, “but there’s a lot of ambiguity. And it might not be the strict voter ID that Republicans are pushing in this bill.”

Republicans say it shouldn’t be ambiguous.

The SAVE America Act is “going to make it harder to cheat, because Americans do not want their legitimate vote canceled by a fraudulent one,” said Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson during floor debate this week.

Most states require voter ID already

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 36 states have some sort of law requiring ID at the polls. As of last year, NCSL reports that 23 states require photo identification and 13 accept non-photo identification.

The SAVE America Act would require photo identification and could override many forms of ID allowed in states across the country — including fishing and hunting licenses or college IDs. It would also require that people voting by mail include a photocopy of their ID with their ballot, potentially creating new problems for states not set up to review and process those photocopies.

Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, says he supports voter ID laws in Virginia that are less strict than those required by the bill. “We have voter ID laws, and most states do,” Kaine says. “So why does there have to be a federal solution?”

Some Democrats have suggested a national identification card that shows proof of citizenship and is free for all citizens.

“If there really were proof of an epidemic of noncitizen voting, we would need to look for ways to prevent that from happening,” said Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen. “We would have to come up with some form of required ID to meet that problem.”