A video, circa 1996, during the administration of President Bill Clinton has surfaced showing then-Rep. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is arguing in favor of an amendment to legislation that would require an ID to vote. In the video clip, Schumer calls an “anti-fraud amendment” and adds that Americans were already required to produce some form of ID to get a job.
“Let’s admit the truth. Everywhere people go they’re asked for a Social Security card. In fact, one way to prove you’re a bona fide person who can have a job is to ask for a driver’s license and a Social Security card,” Schumer said.
“This is an anti-fraud amendment. All over where we go, people say, ‘Well, why can’t you stop illegal immigrants or others from coming here?’ And the number one answer we give our constituents is, when they come here, they can get jobs, get benefits against the law because of fraud,” he added.
Fast-forward to this week, and now-Senate Minority Leader Schumer is calling a Republican-led effort to require an ID before being able to vote in national elections “Jim Crow 2.0,” claiming further that it will “disenfranchise” millions of Americans, allegedly by making it impossible for them to get documents they should already have.
Specifically, he and fellow Democrats are opposed to the SAVE America Act. “Schumer has repeatedly described the SAVE America Act as a ‘pernicious’ and ‘nasty’ piece of legislation that threatens voting rights across the United States, particularly for low-income Americans and people of color,” the site Meaww.com reported.
He argues that the bill’s requirements for documentary proof of U.S. citizenship—such as passports or original birth certificates—would disenfranchise millions of eligible voters, citing estimates that up to 21 million Americans could be affected.
Schumer also criticized the bill for potentially eliminating vote-by-mail and online registration, which could disproportionately impact service members, rural residents, and people with disabilities, without providing any context or evidence for his claims.
Republicans, including President Trump – who has made passage of the bill a personal priority ahead of the midterm elections this fall – have countered that their principal reasoning behind the bill is to prevent precisely the kind of illegal alien fraud Schumer also opposed in 1996, well before Democrats began relying on millions of them to skew census figures and voter registration rolls in their favor.
The GOP-controlled Senate voted narrowly to advance the SAVE America Act on Tuesday, an action that will kick off an intense debate that could last days. The vote was 51-48, with all Democrats and some Republicans voting against a measure that has overwhelming public support among both Republican and Democratic voters.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is likely to introduce several amendments, including individual aspects of the overall bill for votes, such as dramatically curbing mail-in voting, requiring an ID to vote in all federal elections, and limiting school sports teams to participation based on boys’ and girls’ biological sex at birth.
Senate Republicans, preparing for a competitive midterm election cycle, are looking to use the expected rejection of legislation that has become a priority for President Donald Trump as a political issue against Democrats.
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote and a photo ID to cast a ballot. The measure is unlikely to pass the Senate, where Republicans do not have the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster in the 100-member chamber.
With all Democrats expected to block the bill, Republican lawmakers have initiated an extended floor debate to draw attention to Democratic opposition to voter ID requirements.
Public opinion polling has shown broad support for voter identification laws across a range of voters, including those from both major political parties, The Detroit News reported.
“We’re going to put every one of them on the record so that everyone in America knows that Republicans support voter ID and Democrats are the party of open borders and illegal voters,” Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the chamber’s No. 2 Republican, told reporters.
Democrats have falsely claimed that the voter ID requirements would “disenfranchise” tens of millions of women and minorities—a typical talking point they often use to oppose GOP-backed legislation.