Durbin Denounces Republicans’ Voter Suppression Legislation On The Senate Floor

Durbin Denounces Republicans' Voter Suppression Legislation On The Senate Floor

Durbin: "This legislation is Trump's crown jewel in a grand scheme to rig the results of the upcoming midterm election"

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, denounced Republicans' SAVE America Act, legislation that is designed to prevent Americans from exercising their fundamental right to vote. Under the SAVE America Act, which requires proof of citizenship to register to vote, driver's licenses and other government-issued IDs, including a REAL ID, alone would not be sufficient. According to a nonpartisan study by the Brennan Center and the University of Maryland, more than 21 million Americans who are eligible to vote-or about one out of every ten voting age citizens-do not have documents readily available to prove their citizenship.

"Did you hear what the President said about this piece of legislation? It's entitled the SAVE America Act. How important it is to him? Earlier this week, on social media, President Trump said '[o]nly sick, demented, or deranged people in the House or Senate could vote against THE SAVE AMERICA ACT.' And then he threatened… to sink any Republican who doesn't fall in line. Here's what he said, '[I] WILL NEVER (EVER!) ENDORSE ANYONE WHO VOTES AGAINST' this legislation," Durbin said.

Durbin continued, "What's going on here? What is it about this bill that the President is so exercised about? Why is he saying these outrageous and exaggerated things? I'll tell you-because this legislation is the crown jewel in a grand scheme to rig the results of the upcoming midterm election."

Addressing Republicans' manufactured argument that American elections are not secure because noncitizens are voting, Durbin explained that federal law already bans noncitizens from participating in American elections and that cases of illegal voting are extremely uncommon.

"Let's just look at some facts. Let's pick a period of time. How about from 1999 to 2023, 24 years in American history. Every two years we have an election cycle… 80 to 100 million [people] are going to register in those two-year cycles. So, in the period of time between 1999 and 2023, 24 years, 12 different election cycles, and millions of people registering to vote in the United States, how many were discovered to be falsifying their country of origin and to be illegal and unqualified to vote? Take a guess. Seven million, right? No. Well, 700,000. No. How about 700? No. Seventy-seven people were found to try to falsify where they were from to vote in the 24-year period of time. Seventy-seven in 24 years," Durbin said.

Durbin continued, "We've got the cleanest, most accurate elections in the world. We ought to be proud of it. There's only one man who disagrees with that. He happens to be the President. He still has this Big Lie concept that he won in 2020. He'll go to his grave believing he won in 2020. But he didn't. He lost fair and square. He just can't accept defeat. It's beyond him."

Durbin went on to outline the specific provisions in the bill that would prevent Americans from exercising their right to vote, including rejecting common IDs to register to vote and penalizing married Americans who changed their last names.

"You want to register to vote? Present your passport. Well, guess what-more than half of Americans don't have a passport. You say, go buy a passport then. What does that take and involve? $165 fee to pay for a passport in this country. If you want it expedited, it's another $60. So in order to vote, you have to pay for a passport," Durbin said. "It's kind of like a poll tax, isn't it?"

Durbin continued, "The second thing you can produce is a birth certificate to show you were born in the United States. Do you know where yours is? I don't know where mine is. It's in a box somewhere in the bedroom. I'll have to go looking for it. If I find it, I'm okay. My wife's got a problem with hers-it has her maiden name on there. She got married to me a few years back… and she doesn't identify by her maiden name any longer. To prove she was born here, she'll have to do fancy footwork with documents to prove it."

Durbin concluded, "Why are we changing the rules? Why are we creating obstacles? Why are we forcing people to spend hundreds of dollars to go buy a passport so they can register to vote? … [this] should come to an end with a big 'no' vote on this floor. I'll be voting no."

Video of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

Audio of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

Footage of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.

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