Senator Murray Sounds Alarm on Trump and Republicans’ Efforts to Make it Harder and More Expensive to Vote

NYT: Republicans, Braced for Losses, Push More Voting Restrictions in Congress

AP: The biggest change to voting in Republican election bill could become a burden for many US voters

PBS: How Trump's SAVE America Act would reshape voting and why critics are concerned

NPR: Trump wants to stop states from voting by mail and using voting machines

***WATCH PRESS CONFERENCE HERE, DOWNLOAD HERE***

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, held a virtual press conference to sound the alarm on the dangers of Trump and Republicans trying to ram through the SAVE America Act to make it harder and more expensive for Americans to register to vote and cast their ballots-as they do nothing to make life more affordable for working people. Senator Murray was joined by, Mary Hall, Thurston County Auditor, and Eliza Sweren-Becker, Deputy Director, Voting Rights and Elections, Democracy at the Brennan Center, who spoke to how the SAVE America Act will make it harder and more expensive for Americans to vote.

Trump and Republicans' SAVE America Act would push states to purge American citizens from the voter rolls, kill voter registration by mail and online, reject common IDs used to register to vote-making Americans pay for new IDs and therefore making it more expensive to vote, force Americans to register to vote in person, and penalize married women who have changed their last names.

"Republicans are charging ahead to jam through the so-called SAVE America Act, with no regard for common sense, cost, or our democracy and our values. This push on this bill isn't going to save anyone, but it is going to make it more expensive and harder to vote. You might as well call it the Suppressing American Voters Effectively Act," said Senator Murray. "Your Real ID, your driver's license, student ID, or even Tribal ID, none of the forms of ID you might actually be carrying on a daily basis will cut it under the new law Republicans want to pass. Instead, you may need to track down your birth certificate-or shell out for a new copy. Or you may pay $165 at least to get a passport… And let's talk about what this means for married women: there are 69 million women who have changed their names in this country-I'm one of them. And Republicans are insisting that in addition to providing proof of citizenship, we may have to provide additional documentation like a marriage certificate or something showing the name change. Just my opinion-but it's not very pro-family of Republicans to throw up roadblocks to keep married women from voting. And let's talk about voting by mail-because no state votes by mail better than we do in Washington state. Well under this legislation, you'd need to mail a photocopy of an acceptable ID to submit your ballot… This bill is a disaster for democracy and I'm not going to let this get passed into law. I will stay on the Senate floor and debate this bill until the sun comes up if that's what it takes. But the American people need to recognize that Republicans are serious about trying to nationalize our elections. Trump is serious about taking them over."

In Washington state, there are currently 1.6 million married women whose names don't match their birth certificates. The SAVE America Act would create additional administrative barriers for these women to register to vote and require all voters to include a photocopy of an acceptable photo ID in the envelope returning their ballot-every election. This will make it more difficult for local county officials to handle and count ballots efficiently. It would also require Americans to register to vote in person with an acceptable photo ID and with proof of citizenship, a driver's license, tribal ID, or military ID would not be sufficient on their own.

Trump and Republicans are using conspiracy theories to justify making it harder and more expensive for Americans to vote. The SAVE America Act would dismantle the safe, proven systems millions of Americans rely on to register to vote. Republicans want to make online registration, mail registration, and voter registration drives illegal-forcing voters to register in person with documents like a birth certificate or passport, even though about 146 million Americans, roughly half the country, don't have a passport. A new passport costs $165-Trump and Republicans effectively want to implement a modern-day poll tax. The Save America Act would also hit women especially hard. Millions of women around the country change their last name after marriage, which can make it much harder to produce documents required to register to vote under the new requirement. Under the SAVE America Act, states would share their voter rolls with the DHS SAVE Program and be pushed to remove anyone flagged by that program from the rolls. The SAVE Program would make recommendations on which voters to purge from the rolls based on their database, which was rebuilt by DOGE and has already misidentified U.S. citizens as being ineligible to vote.

"The SAVE America Act is the most dangerous, anti-democratic piece of legislation I have ever seen," said Mary Hall, Thurston County Auditor. "This bill isn't about security. It is a burdensome attempt to push millions of eligible voters out of the democratic process. It creates mandates that ignore the reality of how Washington State residents want to vote. From an administrative standpoint, implementing this before a general election is impossible."

"If this bill becomes law, it would be the first federal voter suppression law ever. Congress is supposed to be protecting the freedom to vote, not undermining it," said Eliza Sweren-Becker, Deputy Director, Voting Rights and Elections, Democracy at the Brennan Center.

Senator Murray believes that the right to vote is essential to making sure our democracy stays a democracy. The ability for people to use their voice and their vote to have a say in our government is foundational, and that means people have to have the power in our elections-not special interests, dark money, or just those at the very top. Senator Murray is working to use every legislative tool available to strengthen voting rights and protect every American's right to have their voice heard in our democracy. As Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Murray continues to ensure that election security is prioritized. In FY 2026, Murray secured $45 million for election security grants for states and U.S. territories, a $30 million increase over fiscal year 2025-to improve the administration of federal elections, upgrade voting equipment, make security enhancements, and protect Americans' right to have their vote counted in free and fair elections. In 2023, Senator Murray cosponsored the Freedom to Vote Act, legislation to improve access to the ballot for Americans, advance commonsense federal election standards and campaign finance reforms, and protect our democracy.

Senator Murray's remarks, as delivered, are below:

"Unfortunately, we're here to talk about how the delusions of one President have pushed a major American political party to try-in the most ham-handed way possible-to nationalize our elections. Republicans are charging ahead to jam through the so-called SAVE America Act, with no regard for common sense, cost, or our democracy and our values.

"This push on this bill isn't going to save anyone, but it is going to make it more expensive and harder to vote for everyone. You might as well call it the Suppressing American Voters Effectively Act.

"So how did we get here? Since 2020, President Trump has ranted and raved about how the election was stolen from him.It's important to know that Trump's conspiracy theories were soundly and thoroughly debunked-by Republican election officials,by journalists on all sides, and, importantly, by the courts.

"But here's the thing about Trump's inner circle, they were cowards by every measure that mattered, they were cynical enough to just go along with him-never mind the catastrophic damage being done to our democracy.

"Worse, many of them aggressively championed this false cause-that election fraud is rampant, and Trump had the 2020 election stolen from him. To this day, in our Senate hearings, Trump administration nominees will twist themselves into pretzels when you ask them if the 2020 election was stolen. They will dance around giving an honest answer for fear of angering the President. It is a really pathetic display.

"But that dynamic is key to understanding why Congressional Republicans are focused on passing this dumbfounding voter suppression bill, instead of addressing the urgent crises we face like, oh, I don't know funding TSA, conducting even basic oversight of the war with Iran, or working with Democrats to lower costs.

"Well now we're here. The bill is on the Senate floor. So, let's talk about it. Everyone should know how this bill is going to make their life worse.

"First off, you're going to have to dig up, or pay for, all kinds of paperwork you honestly may not even have anymore. If you're registering to vote for the first time, or moved to Washington state, and are registering to vote here for the first time, you're going to have to do that in person now. That really makes no sense. This bill is not solving problems-it is creating them.

"And guess what: your Real ID, your driver's license, student ID, or even Tribal ID, none of the forms of ID you might actually be carrying on a daily basis will cut it under the new law Republicans want to pass. Instead, you may need to track down your birth certificate-or shell out for a new copy. Or you may pay $165 at least to get a passport. Half of all Americans do not even have a passport. And 21 million Americans do not have easy access to the other kinds of documentation they need to prove their citizenship.

"And let's talk about what this means for married women: there are 69 million women who have changed their names in this country-I'm one of them. And Republicans are insisting that in addition to providing proof of citizenship, we may have to provide additional documentation like a marriage certificate or something showing the name change. Just my opinion-but it's not very pro-family of Republicans to throw up roadblocks to keep married women from voting.

"And let's talk about voting by mail-because no state votes by mail better than we do in Washington state. Well under this legislation, you'd need to mail a photocopy of an acceptable ID to request your ballot and again to submit your ballot. Sorry, but who even owns a photocopier anymore?

"This is all so absurd-to say nothing about how this President wants to ban all voting by mail. Forget the fact that Trump himself has voted by mail plenty of times.

"Look, I got into politics to help people and solve problems. This bill creates problems and helps no one.

"Voter fraud is not a real issue we have yet to solve-because it is already incredibly rare and it is already illegal-if you try to commit voter fraud you can already be put in jail. But I cannot overstate how rarely this happens. The average American is more likely to be struck by lightning than they are to commit voter fraud-seriously. That is a real stat.

"And here's the thing: many of my Republican colleagues recognize that none of this is necessary or practical to force on our states. But they are going along to get along with this President-and in some ways, that's a whole lot worse.

"So, here's where the rubber hits the road: this bill is a disaster for democracy and I'm not going to let this get passed into law. I will stay on the Senate floor and debate this bill until the sun comes up if that's what it takes.

"But the American people need to recognize that Republicans are serious about trying to nationalize our elections. Trump is serious about taking them over.

"So that's why I'm here today. To get the word out. And I'm pleased to be joined by some experts-people who really understand the nuts and bolts of democracy.

"So, with that, I'm very pleased to introduce Mary Hall, she is the auditor for Thurston County. Mary is someone who is highly regarded by both sides-that's the way it should be. Administering elections is not partisan and it never should be.

"So, Mary thank you for joining me today, and with that I am going to turn this over to you."

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