Calls to pass the voter-integrity SAVE America Act intensified Monday following a Supreme Court ruling siding with a Mississippi law allowing mail-in ballots received up to five days after Election Day to be counted.
In a TruthSocial.com post reacting to the decision in Watson/Mississippi v. RNC, President Donald Trump stressed the increased importance of passing the SAVE America Act and its three top elements:
“In light of the tremendous loss in the Supreme Court today concerning Voter’s Rights, and the fact that ‘people’s’ votes are allowed to be counted LONG AFTER an Election is over, it is more important than ever to pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, which is
- ALL VOTERS MUST SHOW PHOTO I.D. (IDENTIFICATION!).
- ALL VOTERS MUST SHOW PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP.
- NO MAIL-IN BALLOTS (EXCEPT FOR ILLNESS, DISABILITY, MILITARY DEPLOYMENT, OR TRAVEL!).”
“The SAVE America Act isn’t just supported by ‘MAGA hardliners.’ Americans overwhelmingly want this And deserve it!” Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) posted on X.com following the decision.
A post by Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) declared Monday’s ruling to be “a shockingly wrong decision” and further proof of the need to pass the SAVE America Act:
“A shockingly wrong opinion. Justice Barrett joins with the liberal justices to hold that federal election law does not preempt states who allow late mail-in ballots to be counted. This is terrible for election integrity. Another reason we must pass the full SAVE American Act.”
“Today’s ruling is even MORE reason why Congress needs to take action to secure our elections,” Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) posted, calling on his fellow Republicans to find a way to overcome Democrat senators’ filibuster preventing a vote on the House-passed bill:
“We need to stop telling the American people that we can’t pass the SAVE America Act and we need to figure out how to get it done. We’re talking about the foundation of our entire government. Failure is not an option here.”
The key voter-integrity component of the Act – requiring photo I.D. – enjoys broad public support spanning all demographics and party affiliations. Fully 83% of U.S. adults approve of requiring voters to provide a photo I.D. in order to cast their ballots, a Pew Research study found. Surveys by other organizations, such as Gallup and Heritage Action have yielded similar results.
In a 5-4 decision, the high court reversed and remanded a Fifth Circuit ruling striking down the Mississippi law, which counts mail-in ballots received up to five days after Election Day – as long as they’re postmarked by Election Day. The high court’s decision rules that states can set their election rules in cases like this because federal statutes set a deadline for voting – but not for the receipt of votes cast by Election Day.
“Not only is today’s decision inconsistent with statutory text, legal context, historical practice, and precedent; it also threatens to produce lamentable consequences,” Justice Samuel Alito warns in his dissenting opinion:
“The majority’s holding spawns a slurry of troubling election-law questions and risks further undermining Americans’ confidence in election integrity.”
“Diverse sources have recognized that mail-in ballots increase the potential for fraud,” Alito notes:
“In 2005, a committee chaired by former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker found that absentee voting was ‘the largest source of potential voter fraud’ in American elections.”
….
“It is undeniable that a prohibition on counting late-arriving ballots would provide an additional hurdle for bad actors seeking to stuff ballot boxes when early election results suggest a tight race. The majority incorrectly removes this safeguard from federal law.”
“When someone votes by mail, it is harder for officials to verify the identity of the person requesting and completing the ballot,” Justice Alito explains:
“Mail voting also presents a greater opportunity for voter manipulation, a more vulnerable chain of ballot custody, and a diminished ability to detect improprieties in real time.”
