Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) on Sunday dismissed the push to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act before the midterm elections, calling it an “impossible task” that would only erode public trust in elections.
In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Tillis pushed back against demands from constituents and President Trump to fast-track the bill, which would require proof of citizenship for voter registration and photo ID at the polls. “I have people telling me I need to implement the SAVE Act immediately in North Carolina, in a state that has voter ID,” Tillis told host Jake Tapper. “Why do I, over the next four months, have to try to pursue the impossible task of implementing a bill that simply can’t be implemented in that timeframe?”
The North Carolina Republican argued that Republicans should focus on winning elections under current laws rather than chasing a legislative overhaul that cannot pass the Senate. “Why are we doing more things that undermine our confidence in elections rather than getting the strong message out that will win for Republicans this year?” he asked.
Tillis urged his party to highlight Republican achievements and warn voters about the rise of the Democratic Socialists of America, pointing to recent primary wins by left-wing candidates in New York. “Win by the good results that Republicans have produced and stop undermining the confidence in the elections,” he said. “This is a bedrock of our 250-year history of success as the democracy that changed the world. Let’s not mess with that between now and November.”
The senator, who previously co-sponsored a version of the SAVE Act, broke with Trump over the president’s push to eliminate the filibuster to pass the bill. Trump has made the SAVE Act his top legislative priority, even refusing to sign a bipartisan housing bill last week and calling the voter ID requirement a “National Emergency” in a Truth Social post.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) echoed Tillis’s skepticism on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” noting that while Louisiana has successfully implemented voter ID without disenfranchising voters, “there are not the votes” to pass the SAVE Act in the Senate. Cassidy agreed with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), who has publicly stated that the bill lacks the support to overcome a filibuster.
As the midterms approach, the debate over voting rights remains a flashpoint. Some Republicans worry that pushing the SAVE Act could backfire, mirroring warnings from Rep. Thomas Massie, who recently cautioned that the GOP faces an “absolute shellacking” without a course correction. Tillis’s comments suggest a growing rift between Trump’s demand for immediate action and the reality of legislative gridlock.
The SAVE Act’s fate in the Senate remains uncertain, but Tillis’s blunt assessment underscores the challenges of passing major election legislation in a divided Congress before voters head to the polls.
