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Rep. Williams pushes Save Act and blames procedural obstacles for delay
Summary
Williams described the Save Act as a bipartisan voter-ID bill requiring government photo identification to vote and blamed the Senate filibuster and political opposition for preventing its passage; he said Democrats oppose it because they seek noncitizen votes, a claim made without rebuttal in the interview.
Rep. Roger Williams said the Save Act, which he described as bipartisan, would require voters to present government photo identification such as a driver's license or passport to cast a ballot.
"If you're a citizen and you have to prove it, then you can vote," Williams said. He added that the legislation simply requires a government ID with a photo and identity information.
Williams also accused Democrats in the interview of opposing the bill because they want "illegals to be able to vote so they can control every election." The program did not include a response from Democratic lawmakers or independent election experts.
He said the main obstacle to passage is Senate procedure: the filibuster requires 60 votes to overcome and he said change depends on Senate leadership and the willingness of senators to alter the rule.
Williams named several senators as being on board with removing the filibuster in principle and said ultimate change will depend on the Senate majority leader. The interview did not include legal analysis of the Save Act text, definitions of enforcement mechanisms, or views from state election officials.
Williams urged Congress to act and said a simple majority could pass the bill if Senate rules were changed.
