Democrats haven't exactly been subtle about their desire to rig elections in their favor. Back in 2021, they pushed the Freedom to Vote Act, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and the For the People Act.
These bills weren't just attempts to federalize election laws but deliberate assaults on the security and integrity of our elections. These laws would have mandated universal mail-in voting, allowed ballots to be accepted long after Election Day, implemented automatic voter registration, allowed felons to vote, and abolished the Electoral College.
Now Republicans have an opportunity to codify election security, so both major parties can feel confident in the results, no matter who wins. And yet some Republicans are actively opposing those efforts.
On Tuesday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) became the first Republican senator to publicly oppose the SAVE Act.
The SAVE Act does just two things: requires proof of citizenship to register and a photo ID to vote—common-sense reforms that shouldn’t be controversial and should have bipartisan support. Her justification? She cited the Republicans’ unanimous opposition to the Democrats’ attempt to federalize elections as justification for her opposition.
"When Democrats attempted to advance sweeping election reform legislation in 2021, Republicans were unanimous in opposition because it would have federalized elections, something we have long opposed," Murkowski said in a statement.
Murkowski's justification is laughably disingenuous. The 2021 Democrat bills were massive power grabs designed to weaken election security and cement their party's advantage. The SAVE Act does the opposite—it strengthens election integrity by requiring basic verification measures that protect every American's vote. This isn't a federal takeover. It's establishing minimum standards to ensure only eligible citizens can vote, which is exactly what the Constitution requires.
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And Murkowski wasn’t alone.
On Wednesday, the House voted to advance the SAVE America Act as part of a rules package. Every single Democrat voted against advancing the resolution. The lone Republican to vote against advancing this critical election integrity legislation to the floor was Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.).
Massie was the sole Republican who actively joined Democrats in opposing its advancement. Earlier this month, Massie even called the SAVE Act a "TOP priority for conservatives" on X. His objection appears to be about the rules package resolution itself rather than the act's content, but the result is the same: he sided with Democrats to block progress on election integrity.
It's bad enough that Democrats stand in the way of election integrity. They've made it clear they prefer chaos and vulnerability over security and transparency. But it's worse when Republicans do it. When members of your own party actively undermine efforts to secure elections, you have to wonder whose side they're really on.
Related: No, Republicans Aren’t Trying to Nationalize Elections
We don't need Republicans like this. Democrats showed their hand in 2021, and Republicans need to secure our elections before Democrats destroy them.
We deserve Republicans who will fight for election integrity, not ones who throw up procedural roadblocks or make false equivalencies to justify siding with Democrats. The 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential election are right around the corner. If Republicans can't unite behind basic measures to secure our elections now, will there ever be a chance again?
