Sen. John Fetterman addressed the ongoing debate over voter identification laws during an exchange with Maria Bartiromo, acknowledging divisions within his own party over the issue and defending the concept of requiring basic identification to vote.
Bartiromo questioned whether opposition among Democrats to voter ID requirements stems from a desire to allow illegal immigrants to vote.
“Very practical on this issue. I know that. But do you think that’s what it’s about? Your colleagues in the Democrat Party want illegals to vote? Is that why they’re so against it?” Bartiromo asked.
Fetterman responded by pointing to procedural and political dynamics surrounding the Save Act and the Senate filibuster.
“Well, there’s a lot to unpack in this about the Save act, and now it’s not being a serious conversation, because right now, there’s not a Democratic co sponsor for that, and that’s why, because that’s necessary, because of the filibuster, and that’s also part of history to unpack. We, as all the Democrats, we wanted to eliminate the filibuster. We called to eliminate the filibuster, and now we find ourselves that we love it now, and that reminds people that the filibuster is important about bringing on the other parts of to have a conversation,” Fetterman said.
He acknowledged that some elements of the Save Act have drawn criticism from Democrats but separated those concerns from the broader principle of voter ID.
“And now for me, there’s other parts of SAVE Act that’s been problematic for Democrats, but for me as a Democrat, just fundamentally, at the end of the day, showing basic, basic ID to vote is a very reasonable idea,” Fetterman continued.
Fetterman cited public support for voter ID requirements, referencing national polling and a recent constitutional amendment in Wisconsin.
“And I think 84% of Americans in the last polling from Pew supports that. And Wisconsin, a very, very purple state, just less a year ago, they put that in their constitution, and that was passed nearly by two to two to one margin too,” he said.
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The exchange highlighted the ongoing debate over voter identification laws at the federal level, including the Save Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.
Fetterman’s remarks reflected tension within the Democratic Party over both the substance of voter ID requirements and the role of the filibuster in shaping legislative outcomes.
While acknowledging internal party disagreements, Fetterman framed the issue of basic voter ID as a practical and broadly supported measure, citing polling data and state-level action as evidence of public backing.