KCRA: U.S. Senator Alex Padilla slams proposed voter ID rules in SAVE Act | California Politics 360
By Ashley Zavala
Democratic U.S. Senator Alex Padilla this week was frustrated lawmakers in Washington D.C. were debating controversial proposed voter ID rules while the partial government shutdown persisted over Department of Homeland Security funding.
The SAVE Act would require United States citizens to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote. It would also require voters to show ID at the polls.
Padilla, who was California’s Secretary of State before he was elected to the Senate, said the measure is “anything but” a commonsense idea.
“First of all, there is no massive voter fraud in America,” Padilla said in an interview on California Politics 360. “It’s a solution in search of a problem.”
Padilla noted a driver’s license would not be sufficient to vote under the proposal. He noted it would require a passport or an original copy of their birth certificate. He also questioned why the proposal seeks to turn over the voter rolls to the Department of Homeland Security.
“Why?” he said. “We shouldn’t trust them to manage the voter rolls.”
“They’re fighting for political survival,” Padilla said, referring to Republicans pushing the SAVE Act. “Their numbers are so bad, their records are so bad, their only chance to holding onto power this November is to change the rules of the elections.”
California voters this year may also see a state proposal
When asked if more could be done to make elections even more secure, Padilla said he knows the infrastructure behind the system in California from his previous role.
“Our elections are safe and secure,” Padilla said. “We need to maintain that while working to make it easier for eligible Americans to participate.”
Riverside Sheriff and candidate for governor Chad Bianco has seized hundreds of thousands of ballots from the last election as part of an effort to look into claims of voter fraud. A spokesperson for the Riverside Superior Court could not say what prompted a judge to approve the seizure when asked this week.
Padilla said he had heard the story when asked about the situation. He said it was reminiscent of the Trump administration’s raid of 2020 ballot materials in Georgia.
“He’s playing for an audience of one,” Padilla said, referring to Bianco. “He’s trying to ingratiate himself to Donald Trump, for what? An appointment or something? I don’t know.”
Read the full article here.