Opponents say voter ID bill would suppress minority turnout
President Donald Trump on Thursday delivered a roughly 25-minute prime-time address to the nation in which he made sweeping, largely unsupported claims about vulnerabilities in U.S. elections, many of which have been debunked or overstated. The speech, months before the November midterm elections, focused on what Trump described as a need for legislation to protect the electoral system.
“Our elections were left vulnerable to being rigged and stolen, and the trust of the American people was lost,” Trump said. “This cannot be allowed to continue.”
Trump called on Congress to pass the SAVE American Act, which would require photo identification to vote, documentary proof of citizenship to register, and restrict mail voting to certain eligible groups. Opponents say the requirements would disproportionately burden Black and other minority voters and could prevent some otherwise eligible citizens from voting.
The president also warned that if Republicans lose their slim majority in the House to Democrats, impeachment proceedings and investigations will follow. The address came as Trump has increasingly focused on election integrity as a campaign theme ahead of the midterms.
Democrats and other critics accused the president of attempting to sow confusion and distrust ahead of the midterms while pushing what they describe as voter suppression measures. The SAVE American Act has been a priority for Trump, who has pressed Congress to pass it since earlier this year.
This is a developing story.