Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., blasted Democrats' opposition to the SAVE America Act on Friday morning, arguing that requiring proof of citizenship to vote is no different than any other everyday task that requires ID.
Speaking on Newsmax's "Wake Up America," Norman called New York Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer's criticism of the bill "ludicrous" and said voters can see "hypocrisy" in Washington's resistance to tighter election safeguards.
"You have to show an ID to get medicine," he said. "You have to show an ID to get on an airplane. You have to show an ID to verify who you are."
If those rules are in place in the United States for purchases and travel, he argued, it makes little sense to exempt the act of casting a ballot.
"That's the ludicrousy of what Chuck Schumer is saying," Norman said.
The Trump-backed SAVE America Act is a bill that would require proof of citizenship and a photo ID when registering to vote in federal elections. It aims to enhance election integrity by ensuring that only U.S. citizens can participate in the voting process.
Norman said the comparison is straightforward: people pull out identification for controlled substances at the pharmacy and TSA screening, yet Democrats portray voter ID as something extraordinarily burdensome.
He said that argument doesn't hold water when IDs are an essential part of daily life for Americans.
The South Carolina Republican also tied the debate to border policy, arguing that the Democrats' approach has helped fuel rampant illegal immigration and, in his view, created incentives to weaken voter verification requirements.
"The whole reason that we've got 15 to 20 million illegals in the country is they thought they would have a voting bloc," he said. "They don't want you to know who's in the country. They don't want you to know who's voting."
Norman contended that opposing proof-of-citizenship provisions leaves communities exposed, saying American lives are being put "at risk" when leaders are resistant to checks that, he believes, should be routine.
"If we don't have safe elections, then we don't have a country, we don't have a state," Norman said. "And it's not going to happen."
The congressman said Republicans in South Carolina intend to "take the offensive" on election security, adding that he's expecting similar efforts nationwide, as the SAVE America Act debate intensifies on Capitol Hill.
"In South Carolina, we're going to put forward the most safe election law that we can, and the [SAVE Act] does just that," Norman said.
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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