Murkowski slams door shut on supporting SAVE America Act

If there were any Republican hopes that Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) might change her mind to vote for the SAVE America Act, she made it clear in no uncertain terms that she will never. 

“While I support the bill’s core tenets—ensuring that only American citizens vote and requiring identification when voting—I remain opposed to it,” wrote Murkowski in a Wall St. Journal op-ed, not even 24 hours after President Donald Trump made a deceitful plea for the U.S. Senate to pass it. “Why? Because it would have serious negative effects in Alaska, and the current text doesn’t allow for the time and resources needed for proper implementation.”

The SAVE America Act would require limited documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote, limited forms of ID to cast ballots and would considerably scale back if not eliminate mail-in ballot voting. All of those would impair how Alaskans typically vote, especially for Alaska Natives who normally rely on tribal identification, which under the bill wouldn’t work for most election purposes, wrote Murkowski. 

However, Murkowski also shared concerns that implementation of the SAVE America Act would sabotage election processes across the entire U.S. given that Trump wants it enforced for this year’s midterms.

“As written, the SAVE America Act isn’t a simple fix to safeguard elections, as proponents claim,” wrote Murkowski. “It would impose costly new barriers and prevent some, perhaps many, from voting, while also creating chaos before the November elections.”

As for Alaska, Murkowski detailed the costs imposed for the proof of citizenship measures given that there are only six election offices across the entire state that could help voters comply with its in-person registration demands.

Voters living in island and rural communities with no connecting roads would have to pay hundreds of dollars for plane tickets and hundreds more for hotel stays and cab rides to access those offices.

She also noted that many Alaskans rely on mail-in voting given the unpredictability of weather there. But if Trump’s version of the SAVE America Act bill passed, it would eliminate absentee voting except in a narrow set of circumstances involving military deployment and illness. 

“This despite the absence of any significant abuses of these systems in Alaska or across the nation,” wrote Murkowski. 

Democracy Docket reported in April on the unique burdens for Alaska voters that the SAVE America Act would impose. 

But beyond Alaska, the five-term senator expressed doubt that any of the bill’s provisions could be put in place before November, which is when the legislation says it should be enforced.

This concern has also been voiced by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), one of several senators who have pledged to oppose the bill, which is why the bill doesn’t have the votes needed to pass in the senate, despite months of heated debate and desperate pleas from the president. 

On Thursday night, Trump gave a speech to the nation where he fired off several absurd, unsubstantiated and heavily debunked claims about voter fraud, in an effort to draw more support for the SAVE America Act. But the speech reportedly barely moved the needle among Republican lawmakers who could help his cause. 

The Wall St. Journal’s editorial board said that Trump’s speech may have actually been counterproductive, particularly for voters. 

“Unfortunately, the message from Mr. Trump and others has been that America’s elections can’t be trusted, and the only hope is the SAVE America Act,” wrote the board in a July 17 editorial. “Aside from being untrue, this is a political backfire for the GOP. If Republican voters believe it, and the bill falls short, then why waste time going to the polls in November?”

Meanwhile, MAGA supporters of the SAVE America Act have reacted harshly to Murkowski’s op-ed on social media, with many calling for her to get primaried.