Who's Really Suppressing the Vote? Debunking Democrats' Attacks on Election Integrity
Blocking the SAVE America Act fuels disillusionment with the democracy Democrats claim to defend
Democrats have spent months branding the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE America Act) as voter suppression. But the fact that the American public overwhelmingly supports the bill shows killing it is likelier to suppress voter turnout through voter demoralization.
Majority support for election integrity crosses party lines. Americans want to ensure that only their fellow citizens get the privilege of voting, and that they do so legally in their proper jurisdictions.
A Harvard/Harris poll published in March found 71 percent of voters back the SAVE America Act. This includes 69 percent of independents and half of Democrats—with 75 percent supporting proof of citizenship, 81 percent wanting voter ID, and 80 percent demanding non-citizens be purged from rolls.
Pew Research Center found that even 71 percent of Democrats support requiring photo ID to vote. Yet Congressional Democrats insist that it is an assault on democracy itself to require proof of U.S. citizenship to register, mandate a government-issued photo ID to vote, and clean up voter rolls.
Doubt is the New Disenfranchisement
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called the SAVE America Act “in every sense a voter suppression bill.” But when little is done to verify voter eligibility, this erodes voter confidence—another form of voter suppression.
Democrats obsess over the tiny number of Americans who may lack a government-issued photo ID. They ignore that states with strict voter ID laws nearly always provide a free photo ID to those who lack a driver’s license or qualifying alternative and are unable to afford the fee. Despite their claims that election-integrity laws depress overall turnout, the opposite is true. For instance, despite fearmongering that requiring photo ID to vote would disenfranchise black Americans, Georgia’s black vote rose after the state enacted a photo ID requirement.
While focusing on the phantom voter suppression election integrity supposedly causes, Democrats ignore the far larger pool of potential voters deterred by cynicism.
Americans understandably look at the massive illegal alien population present in their country—enabled by open borders and blue city sanctuary policies—with concern. They see our lax voter registration rules and reasonably conclude that their own votes could be canceled out by noncitizens. States with same-day voter registration, a history of keeping sloppy voter rolls, and legalized vote harvesting are especially vulnerable.
Why bother showing up to vote if Congress refuses to secure our elections against potential fraud?
This disillusionment doesn’t hit everyone equally. It lands hardest on conservatives in liberal strongholds or urban areas, where high foreign-born populations make the perception of dilution strongest. These voters don’t care about studies from left-wing think tanks claiming noncitizen voting is “vanishingly rare.” They want assurance that the rules are enforced so their ballot and the ballots of their fellow eligible Americans decide election outcomes.
By opposing the SAVE America Act, Congressional Democrats are doing exactly what they accuse Republicans of doing—engaging in voter suppression. Failure to close loopholes that enable fraud or to eliminate errors that result in ineligible votes breeds a lack of confidence in election outcomes. This discourages would-be voters, who in turn decide to stay home.
Although Democrats may succeed in suppressing conservative votes by ignoring election integrity, this harms the country in the long run. In unstable countries, when one faction boycotts an election, the other side gains power. But wielding power without the consent of the governed is dangerous. If good people believe their electoral system is rigged against them, they are less likely to love and support their country. This could manifest as increased tax evasion or a decline in military and public service. Ultimately, it could lead to civil unrest.
Democratic opposition to election integrity suppresses voter turnout far more than any minor inconvenience caused by citizenship or identity verification while registering or voting. If passed, the SAVE America Act would boost confidence in federal elections by reassuring millions of skeptical citizens that their votes will not be undermined by illegal votes—especially those cast by noncitizens.
People are more likely to vote if they believe the process is fair. By opposing this bill, which even most of their own voters support, Democratic officials are undermining the democracy they pretend to defend.
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