(USA Features) Republican senators defended their decision to vote against the Democrat-sponsored voting reform bill known as the “For The People Act” because it bars state voter ID requirements.
Showing an ID to vote is “the most basic thing,” Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma said, adding that Americans must produce one for a variety of other activities such as buying alcohol, boarding a commercial flight, or entering a federal building.
“It’s the most basic thing. Everybody should have the ability to be able to get an ID,” he told CNS News.
“We want to encourage people to be able to vote and do everything we can to make sure that we can make it easy for people to vote. But verifying the ID of someone shouldn’t be hard, as well,” he added.
Other Republicans voiced similar sentiments.
“I believe in it 100%. In my state it’s in our, it’s in our constitution,” Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley told the outlet.
“Voters passed a voter ID law in the state of Missouri back in 2016, I think,” said Hawley. “So, our voters have weighed in on it directly. And they support it, I support it, and I think it’s a pretty basic thing.”
“And in Missouri, you could, it doesn’t even actually have to be a photo specifically, but the state will provide you, free of no charge,” he added, “you know, if you can’t get a form of ID the state will provide it for you.
“So, the state doesn’t restrict access at all. But it does, it is an election security measure,” he continued.
Sen. Mike Lee of Utah riffed on the bill itself.
“This was a victory for the angels. This bill was written in hell by the devil himself,” he told Fox News host Sean Hannity Tuesday evening.
“This bill wouldn’t make it easier to vote. This would make it easier to vote illegally. This is the ‘corrupt politicians act,’ and I’m glad we defeated it,” he added.
“Most importantly, Sean, we have to remember that this would have arranged for federal taxpayer dollars to fund campaigns,” Lee said.
“Several of my colleagues have pointed out to me in the last few days that in their campaigns, if this bill had been law, they would personally have been entitled to tens of millions of dollars in federal taxpayer subsidies into their campaigns,” he added.
“Sean, there’s one thing the American people do not want, and that’s for the federal government to be running politicians’ campaigns. And I’m thrilled that we stopped that.”
Some Democrats also agree that voter ID is necessary.
“Absolutely, always ID,” Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia told CNS News, though a compromise he offered last week would allow voters to substitute another document such as a utility bill to supplant a photo ID.