WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) spoke on the Senate floor in support of the SAVE America Act, commonsense legislation that ensures only U.S. citizens vote in federal elections. The bill requires proof of citizenship to be presented when registering to vote and photo ID to be presented when casting the ballot.
Thirty-six states already require some form of identification to vote. This includes Iowa, as well as states represented by Democrats like Georgia and Rhode Island. Californians are not required to show identification before voting “in most cases.”
Grassley worked with Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate to help verify voters’ eligibility ahead of the 2024 election.
Video and transcript of Grassley's remarks follow.
Soon, the Senate will debate a bill. The bill is called the SAVE America Act. The policies in this bill have the support of more than 80% of Americans.
Some of my colleagues say that the SAVE America Act isn’t necessary. They are wrong. There are two fundamental, commonsense reasons why 80% of Americans support the policies of this legislation.
Number one: only U.S. citizens are eligible to vote in our elections. So, this bill simply requires Americans to show proof of citizenship when they register to vote.
Number two: it requires a photo ID when voting. This helps ensure the person who is registered to vote in that election is the person who is actually casting that ballot.
The SAVE America Act would give voters peace of mind that federal elections are conducted fair and square. It would give voters peace of mind that their vote isn’t diluted by people not eligible to vote.
I’m a cosponsor of the SAVE Act and the SAVE America Act. I support free, transparent and accurate elections. Every American deserves absolute confidence there’s no funny business distorting election outcomes.
Let me tell you about the track record in my home state of Iowa. Voter ID laws in my state have been successful and well received since passage in 2017. Iowa’s voter turnout increased in the 2018 midterm elections, and turnout has continued to remain very strong.
So, the proof is in the pudding. Iowa’s track record demonstrates voter ID improves the integrity and security of our elections, enhancing voter turnout and also boosting public confidence in the outcome of elections.
Nearly a century ago, a Supreme Court Justice said the states are the “laboratories of democracy.” Guess what Iowa has shown voter ID laws work. They don’t impede voter turnout, as Iowa has shown. Voter ID boosts public trust.
In fact, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 36 states have voter ID. Their laws on the books require voter ID. This bill would apply a minimum federal standard, much like other federal voting laws.
Partisan critics of this commonsense bill are misleading the public with bad information. This bill would not make it harder to vote. Americans ought to be insulted by arguments being made on the other side of the aisle.
I’m confident Americans are capable of bringing a photo ID with them to vote. That happens to be no different than when they drive, when they open a bank account, when they board an airplane, when they buy cold medicine or sign up for government benefits. These are all examples of people showing ID.
Another argument claims it’s unfair to require people to provide proof of citizenship to register to vote. That’s even more revealing coming from the other side, because it makes the Biden administration’s open-border policy even more alarming.
After President Biden allowed more than 12 million people to illegally enter our country, protecting the right to vote for American citizens is top of mind to the millions of law-abiding citizens throughout America.
Because of the influx in illegal immigrants streaming into our country during Biden’s border crisis, it’s not surprising Americans want to prevent voter fraud and ensure every ballot is legitimate.
The bill gives voters five different ways to show proof of citizenship, and it gives states the flexibility to create other pathways to show proof of citizenship.
For example, for those whose current name doesn’t match their birth certificate, they can provide a marriage certificate or other name change verifications.
I’ve been honored to serve in my elective office for nearly seven decades. I’ve worked hard to earn every vote at the ballot box. Public trust in elective officeholders requires public trust in our elections.
Voting rights have a long history in America’s march to a more perfect union. They’re enhanced by the 15th Amendment to the federal constitution [and] by the 19th Amendment to the federal constitution.
My mother was one of the very first women to cast a ballot after ratification of the 19th Amendment, and I’ve shown proof of that with placards here on the floor of the United States Senate in a speech that shows her picture in the Des Moines Register newspaper and the Waterloo Courier newspaper.
The SAVE America Act doesn’t infringe on these hard-fought voting rights. It would preserve the integrity of every vote cast in a federal election.
Election integrity is sacred to our system of self-government. Losing public trust in the outcome of elections would be a death knell for our fragile American experiment, even though it’s 250 years long.
For our nation’s 250th birthday, the SAVE America Act is a gift to current and future generations to strengthen our system of self-government.
That brings me to more commonsense policies included in the bill, as well as the voting issues.
Like many Americans, I’m alarmed by the prevalence of gender mutilation surgeries being performed on minors. Protecting children makes our society stronger.
Irreversible damage from gender reassignment surgery should not be conducted on kids. This bill would put an end to this reckless practice on America’s children. The SAVE America Act would make this policy the law of the land.
This very week, on another issue in the bill, America is in the thick of March Madness. Filling out brackets, watching buzzer beaters and cheering on Cinderella contenders is a rite of passage during the month of March.
I’m thrilled to cheer on our Iowa teams in the NCAA Tournament, including two women’s teams, the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Iowa State Cyclones, as well as three [men’s] teams, the Hawkeyes, the Cyclones and my alma mater, the University of Northern Iowa.
Earlier this month, the Iowa high school basketball tournament brought the best of 32 girls’ teams and 32 boys’ teams from across the state to compete in four divisions.
These young athletes deserve to compete on a level playing field: girls against girls, boys against boys. This is a matter of fairness. Our bill would guarantee a level playing field for young athletes.
Title IX was enacted a few years before I became a member of Congress. It’s been a gamechanger for women’s sports. Just think of Iowa’s own Caitlin Clark – she’s blazed a trail for women’s sports for generations to come.
The SAVE America Act delivers commonsense government to the American people. As a student of history, I would prophesize that Americans looking back at this debate 250 years from now will scratch their heads, because protecting election integrity and protecting women’s sports are as American as motherhood and apple pie.
In fact, 80% of Americans are able to see eye-to-eye on these issues.
When it comes to elections, 80% of the American people support voter ID. I’ve even seen polls that say 71% of the Democrats support voter ID.
I encourage my colleagues across the aisle to join us and pass the SAVE America Act without delay.
-30-