EXCLUSIVE: Susan Collins Backs SAVE AMERICA ACT -- But Won't Break Filibuster

“The law is clear that in this country only American citizens are eligible to vote in federal elections," U.S. Sen. Susan Collins told The Maine Wire.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is throwing her weight behind the House-passed SAVE America Act, saying the revised bill strikes the right balance between election security and voter access — while making clear she won’t support scrapping the Senate’s legislative filibuster to get it across the finish line.

In an exclusive comment to The Maine Wire, Sen. Collins said she supports the current version of the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship to vote in U.S. elections.

Collins said she will support the version of the SAVE Act that has now cleared the House, calling it a “simple reform” aimed at strengthening confidence in federal elections.

“The law is clear that in this country only American citizens are eligible to vote in federal elections. In addition, having people provide an ID at the polls, just as they have to do before boarding an airplane, checking into a hotel, or buying an alcoholic beverage, is a simple reform that will improve the security of our federal elections and will help give people more confidence in the results,” she said.

Collins said that her support hinges on changes made to the legislation. She said she previously opposed an earlier draft that would have required voters to prove their citizenship each time they cast a ballot.

“Requiring voters to produce passports or birth certificates on election day — as opposed to just a state-issued ID — would have placed an unnecessary burden on the voters. That provision is no longer in the bill and dropping this requirement was key to getting my support.”

Although conservatives will cheer the news that Collins will support citizenship requirements for voting via the SAVE Act, her support comes with a key caveat: preserving the Senate filibuster.

The Maine senator drew a firm red line when it comes to changing Senate rules to pass the bill.

“I oppose eliminating the legislative filibuster,” Collins said. “The filibuster is an important protection for the rights of the minority party, that requires Senators to work together in the best interest of the country. Removing that protection would, for example, allow a future Congress controlled by Democrats to pass provisions on anything they want — DC Statehood, open borders, or packing the Supreme Court — with just a simple majority of Senators.”

The legislative filibuster requires 60 votes to advance most major bills in the Senate. Democrats have periodically called for weakening or eliminating it, arguing it allows a minority to block widely supported legislation.

Some Republicans, including Collins, have defended the 60-vote threshold as a guardrail against rapid policy swings when power changes hands.

Other Republicans and most conservative commentators have predicted that a future Democratic majority in the Senate would abolish the long-standing Senate filibuster in order to stack the U.S. Supreme Court and further assert progressive dominance over American life.

Full Comment:

I support the version of the SAVE America Act that recently passed the House.  The law is clear that in this country only American citizens are eligible to vote in federal elections. In addition, having people provide an ID at the polls, just as they have to do before boarding an airplane, checking into a hotel, or buying an alcoholic beverage, is a simple reform that will improve the security of our federal elections and will help give people more confidence in the results.  I opposed a previous version of this bill that would have required people to prove their citizenship every single time they cast a ballot.  Requiring voters to produce passports or birth certificates on election day -- as opposed to just a state-issued ID -- would have placed an unnecessary burden on the voters.  That provision is no longer in the bill and dropping this requirement was key to getting my support.

I oppose eliminating the legislative filibuster.  The filibuster is an important protection for the rights of the minority party, that requires Senators to work together in the best interest of the country.  Removing that protection would, for example, allow a future Congress controlled by Democrats to pass provisions on anything they want -- DC Statehood, open borders, or packing the Supreme Court -- with just a simple majority of Senators.  

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