Click here to watch the video.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:
Thune’s remarks below (as delivered):
“Mr. President, just where do Senate Democrats stand on voter ID?
“It’s pretty darn hard to tell.
“I mean, we spent years hearing from Democrats how voter ID … is a tool of voter suppression.
“As recently as mid-February, the Democrat leader was decrying voter ID.
“And then suddenly Democrats started hedging their bets.
“Wait, of course Democrats support voter ID, Democrat after Democrat has been claiming.
“And photo ID specifically!
“The Democrat leader said last week, and I quote, ‘Our objection, as Democrats, is not to a photo ID.’
“Except …
“Is that true, Mr. President? Is that really true?
“Because on Tuesday the Democrat leader came down to the floor and made it very clear that he, at least, does object to photo ID.
“We need, in his words, ‘inclusive’ voter ID options.
“Like leases or utility bills or debit cards – or photocopies thereof.
“He’s apparently okay with a demand for photo ID in a million other situations – from boarding a plane to signing your kid up for school to opening a bank account.
“But heaven forbid that we ask Americans to produce the same ID they produce all over town when they go to the polls.
“It’s not ‘inclusive.’
“Other Democrats have acted similarly: paying lip service to voter ID – and photo ID in particular – but backpedaling the minute actually supporting voter ID legislation comes into question.
“The senior Democrat from New Jersey was on CNN Tuesday, and said that he would support a voter ID bill, until he was pressed on that commitment, and then he suddenly started avoiding the question.
“The junior Democrat senator from Georgia boldly claimed, and I quote, ‘I think you should have to prove that you are who you say you are before you vote. I support voter ID.’
“And then he went on to knock the voter ID requirements under discussion.
“And Mr. President, just to give you an example of some of the – I mean, this actually is quite revealing.
“Here are quotes from one, two, three, four, five Democrats.
“This one: ‘Who could be against that, requiring an ID to vote?’ That from a couple of days ago.
“Here’s the senator from Arizona: ‘If people want to adopt the Arizona way, which is strict voter ID, I think that would be fine.’ That was about a week ago.
“Senator from Rhode Island: ‘I represent a state that has a sensible voter ID law and that regularly reviews its voter rolls. This approach has been extremely effective.’ That again, just a few days ago.
“And as then I said, is the Democrat leader, and this is 10 days ago: ‘Democrats support voter ID.’
“Senator from Michigan, and I quote again: ‘… hopefully all Americans are in agreement about [voter ID].’ That from a week ago.
“Here’s the other senator from Georgia, again, and I quote: ‘We have voter ID laws in my state. You should have to prove that you are who you say you are before you vote. That is basic.’ That also from about a week ago, Mr. President.
“So the question is, will Democrats vote the way they talk?
“Well, Mr. President, today they’re going to get a chance to support voter ID – without supporting the SAVE America Act.
“We’re going to have an … amendment vote on a clean voter ID bill.
“The only thing – the only thing – the amendment would do would be to require a photo ID at the polls.
“A driver’s license. A tribal ID. A military ID. A veteran ID. A passport.
“That’s all it would say, Mr. President.
“And something that a lot of Democrats have been out there openly advocating for.
“And again, supporting this amendment doesn’t require Democrats to support the overall SAVE America Act.
“It doesn’t obligate them to vote in any way on the final bill.
“They can vote for this amendment and vote against the SAVE America Act.
“What this amendment will do, however, is force Democrats to come clean on whether or not they actually support voter ID in a real way.
“Not photocopies of debit cards or utility bills, as Democrats once proposed.
“Real IDs, with photos, issued by states or the federal government.
“The kind of IDs Americans use all the time in their daily lives.
“The kind of IDs that polls show Americans overwhelmingly support.
“Democrats have been trying to have their cake and eat it too, Mr. President – pretending that they stand with the overwhelming majority of Americans who support photo IDs at the polls, while declining any occasion to put their money where their mouth is and support actual legislation.
“So here’s their chance, Mr. President.
“If Democrats are being honest – if they really think that showing an ID is ‘reasonable,’ as the Democrat whip claimed – then they can support this clean photo ID amendment.
“Clean, Mr. President.
“No other provisions.
“Just a requirement to show the same kind of photo ID at the polls that Americans show elsewhere on a daily basis.
“No obligation to vote for the overall bill.
“No statement on the overall bill.
“Just a clean photo ID provision.
“Mr. President, I look forward to seeing where Democrats really stand.”