Murkowski Opposes SAVE America Act

0:00On March 20th, here's the latest out of Anchorage. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski is holding strong against the Safe Guard American Voter Elegibility Act, or SAV America Act. This bill would make proof of citizenship required for voting in federal elections. She's one of the few Republicans speaking out, saying it could create big problems for voters across the country. Murkowski agrees that voting should be for citizens only, in that some form of ID makes sense, but she worries about how the federal government would force this on states right before Election Day, with no extra money to help set it up. She believes states like Alaska should handle their own rules. In Alaska, only six election offices serve the whole state, and 83% of communities are connected by roads. That means 20% of voters who live off the road system could struggle to show up in person with documents. Democrats warn they might not millions off voter rolls nationwide, including people without easy access to birth certificates. After her Senate speech,

1:00Murkowski got good feedback, even from the bill's sponsor, who noted Alaska's special challenges. The bill has some carve-outs, like for those born before December 31st, 1960, or states with super low non-citizen voting rates under .005%. Lawmakers could vote within the next week, but the bill lacks the support to overcome a likely Democratic filibuster, leaving states to keep running. Elections their way for now.