Thune on SAVE America Act Debate: Democrats’ Rhetoric Is Out of Touch With Americans

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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, if one thing is abundantly clear from polling, it's that there are a lot of Americans out there - of both parties - who find voter ID requirements and proof-of-citizenship requirements for voter registration to be pretty commonsense policies.

"One poll, in fact, showed that a whole lot of voters already believe proof of citizenship is required to register - I assume because it seems pretty darn commonsense to most people to ensure that those registered to vote are eligible.

"I mean, Americans are pretty used to proving eligibility.

"Joining the military, signing up for Little League, applying for SNAP benefits, signing up for Medicare, starting a new job - all situations in which Americans have to prove that they're eligible.

"And you know what, Mr. President?

"Americans are doing a pretty good job in those situations.

"I haven't heard a lot of sob stories about how someone would have signed up their kids for Little League if only the paperwork wasn't so darn complicated.

"And yet, Mr. President, do you know what Little League requires?

"A birth certificate, and not one, not two, but three proofs of residence.

"And yet somehow, every year, thousands of kids sign up for these teams.

"Mr. President, do you know what else you need a birth certificate for?

"Signing your kid up for public school.

"That's right.

"A birth certificate is an extremely common requirement.

"And somehow, parents of all sorts of backgrounds and income levels have managed to produce their child's birth certificate to sign them up for school.

"If only Democrats knew that.

"The senior Democrat senator from Vermont was on the floor the other day bewailing the SAVE America Act's birth certificate requirement for voter registration.

"This is what he said, and I quote: '[A]s many as 69 million married women have last names that do not match their birth certificates and would need to provide additional documentation proving their name changes in order to register to vote,' he lamented.

"And I further quote: 'Further, an estimated 4 million Americans have had their birth certificates or other necessary documents stolen or destroyed. If you are watching this out there, just think: Do you have a birth certificate? How are you going to get a birth certificate? … You will have to go through all of the bureaucracy to get your birth certificate.'

"Well, first, Mr. President, can I just say how nice it is to hear a Democrat senator worried about government bureaucracy?

"The very same senator who has repeatedly introduced legislation to drown your health care in government bureaucracy is now worried about the bureaucracy at vital records offices.

"It's nice.

"But setting that aside, let's talk about the rest of his statement.

"Let's say you're one of those Americans that the senator claims have had their birth certificates stolen or destroyed.

"Well, let's see, what would you do?

"Probably the same thing you would do if you misplaced your child's birth certificate and had to register him or her for school or Little League.

"A quick Google search to find the replacement process in your state - frequently an in-person visit, an online application, or a mail-in application: it's your choice.

"You can do any of the above, Mr. President.

"And as for married women?

"Well, let's talk about married women.

"Throughout this debate, Democrats have pushed the ludicrous narrative that married women will be disenfranchised under the SAVE America Act.

"Well, Mr. President, give me a break.

"Let's go over the scenarios if you're a married woman.

"One, if you decided not to change your name, then you don't have to do anything about your voter registration.

"Two, if you have changed your name socially but not legally, then once again, you don't have to do anything.

"And three, if you have changed your name legally and apply for a new driver's license, you can update your voter registration at the same time - just as you can under the current 'motor-voter' law.

"So the scenarios in which a married woman would have any trouble voting are somewhere between exceedingly rare and nonexistent.

"But just in case, the SAVE America Act adds a provision to allow women to sign an affidavit testifying to their name change - and if their state allows same-day registration, they could do that on the same day that they vote.

"So, Mr. President, married women will be just fine under the SAVE America Act.

"Mr. President, sometimes I wonder about the view my Democrat colleagues seem to have of the American people - and in this debate, of their voters in particular!

"The junior Democrat senator from Oregon had this to say at the beginning of the debate: '[T]his bill is about stopping groups from voting who tend to vote for Democrats.'

"'This bill is about stopping groups from voting who tend to vote for Democrats.'

"Well, one of two things is going on here, Mr. President.

"Either the senator from Oregon thinks there are a lot of non-citizens voting in our elections - and they're voting for Democrats - or else he has a pretty poor opinion of Democrat voters.

"Is he suggesting that Democrat voters are too dumb to be able to obtain a birth certificate or driver's license?

"How does he think they are starting new jobs, or signing their kids up for school, or going to the doctor, or doing any one of the hundred other things that require a birth certificate or photo ID - for themselves or for their child?

"Mr. President, I may be a Republican, but I am 100 percent confident that Democrat voters are capable of obtaining their birth certificate - if they don't already have it - and producing a photo ID.

"Is this where Democrats get their belief in big government?

"They think Americans are too stupid to figure out how to do anything for themselves - and so they need Democrats in Washington to do things for them?

"Come on.

"Mr. President, Americans are more than used to providing documentation - whether it's a birth certificate, Social Security card, photo ID, or passport.

"And I don't think it's too burdensome to suggest that we require some of that same documentation for voting, to maintain the security of our elections.

"The American people certainly don't seem to think it's too burdensome.

"Poll after poll shows that Americans support proof of citizenship to vote and photo ID at the polls.

"Mr. President, perhaps Democrats should listen to them."

Permalink: https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2026/3/thune-on-save-america-act-debate-democrats-rhetoric-is-out-of-touch-with-americans