Senate Republicans say they have enough support within their conference to advance their legislation that would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote and a photo ID to cast a ballot, but the bill faces unified Democrat opposition and the Senate's 60-vote threshold.
The bill, called the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act — shortened to SAVE America Act — cleared the House on Wednesday by a 218-213 vote and now heads to a Senate where Republicans hold 53 seats, short of the votes typically needed to end debate without Democrat support.
Republicans argue the bill is needed to deter fraud, including double voting, voter impersonation, and noncitizen voting, while Democrats say the new documentation requirements would make it harder for some eligible voters to participate and could disproportionately affect minority voters.
With rule changes off the table, GOP leaders and conservative activists are pressing for a procedural gambit known as a talking filibuster, which requires lawmakers trying to block a bill to physically hold the floor and speak continuously to prevent a vote, rather than simply signaling opposition to trigger the modern 60-vote cloture threshold.
Years ago, lawmakers seeking to delay legislation had to physically hold the floor — sometimes reading from cookbooks or newspapers — but in more recent times, filibusters have largely become procedural, with even the threat of one enough to slow passage.
"It works great in movies," Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., told The Washington Times, in a reference to the 1939 film "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," in which a senator speaks for 23 hours to protest corruption.
In practice, the maneuver could still bog down the chamber because Senate rules and precedents allow extended debate and a flood of procedural motions and amendments, even if leaders try to box in the process.
"There aren't anywhere close to the votes — not even close — to nuking the filibuster," Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said when asked about passing the bill.
"And so that idea is something, although it continues to be put out there, is something that doesn't have a future," Thune added.
"Is there another way of getting there? We'll see," he said, noting Republicans are discussing alternatives.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, the bill's lead sponsor, has urged colleagues to force Democrats to physically hold the floor, arguing the modern filibuster lets senators block legislation with far less effort once cloture becomes the central test.
"Enforcing the Talking Filibuster is NOT 'eliminating' the filibuster," Lee posted on X.
"It's just enforcing the Senate's rules and making Democrats opposed to the SAVE America Act actually speak if they want to filibuster," he wrote.
"If we don't do this now, we might as well prepare to lose," Lee added.
Several conservatives, including Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, and Rick Scott of Florida, have expressed support.
Others have warned the tactic could burn scarce floor time that Thune has said he wants for priorities such as housing, permitting, market structure, AI, the Farm Bill, and the highway bill.
"I'm very open to that," said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.
"I'm not sure my colleagues are very enthusiastic about that," he added.
On the Democrat side, Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii argued that forcing an around-the-clock floor fight would still amount to weakening the filibuster in practice.
"We tried the exact same thing, but nobody mistook that for maintaining the filibuster," Schatz said.
"That is going nuclear," he added.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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