MaddowBlog-Trump's anti-voting bill is far more radical than just a 'voter ID' proposal
The presidents poorly named Save America Act would do many things. Saving the country isnt one of them
Trumpâs anti-voting bill is far more radical than just a âvoter IDâ proposal www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
— Philly Joe (@joehick58.bsky.social) 2026-06-26T23:12:01.553Z
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-voter-id-bill-save-america-act-congress
Its rather common to see news organizations, which have a limited amount of space in a headline, describe the presidents proposal as a voter ID bill. Its an unfortunate shorthand because thats just a small part of a broader package.
The proposal would make it harder to register to vote: In response to a problem that does not exist in reality, Americans who wish to register to vote would be required to prove their citizenship. That wouldnt just be the imposition of an unnecessary hassle; it would also be an even bigger burden on tens of millions of Americans who dont have ready access to a documentary proof of citizenship.
The proposal would make it harder to vote: In response to another problem that does not exist in reality, Americans who wish to cast ballots would be forced to meet a federal voter ID requirement, which would very likely disenfranchise many lower-income voters.
The proposal would impose new restrictions on Americans who wish to vote by mail: In response to yet another problem that also does not exist, voters who wish to take advantage of early voting through mail-in ballots something the president himself has done many times would have to jump through a series of new and unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles in response to baseless partisan conspiracy theories. (Those who meet a Trump-approved list of exceptions would be free to circumvent the restrictions.)
The proposal would impose new restrictions on transgender Americans: The anti-trans provisions in the bill have literally nothing to do with voting or elections administration, but Trump apparently threw them in anyway for reasons he has not fully explained.
The details of the anti-voting bill are obviously important, but so are the overarching objectives behind the White Houses demands: Trump wants to impose greater controls over who gets to vote and how, while extending his yearslong crusade to undermine public confidence in American elections in response to systemic problems that only appear to exist in his active imagination.
This is a horrible voter suppression bill.