Jim Banks Calls for Passage of SAVE America Act to Require Proof of Citizenship to Vote

Hans Blaster · Feb 9, 2026

ThatRobGuy said:
Great, so let's do Voter ID like Canada. Canada is the cool progressive neighbor to the north that doesn't like guns, is cool with LGBTQ stuff, and is hyper-aware of racial issues.

Canadians try to fool you by seeming "American-like", but then you scratch the surface and realize they have a Queen. Shudder. (It's also too far south.)

ThatRobGuy said:
So can we do elections and voter ID like Canada?...... or is the answer to that question "no" for "reasons"??

With cross linked databases? (I don't even have an "immigration status".) That's a bit too "big brother" for my tastes. (Didn't you used to be a libertarian or something?)

Pommer · Feb 10, 2026

Hans Blaster said:
Canadians try to fool you by seeming "American-like", but then you scratch the surface and realize they have a Queen. Shudder. (It's also too far south.)

she dead, they have king now

Larniavc · Feb 10, 2026

Valletta said:
There's simply no evidence for your accusations.

Voter ID, poll watchers, trying stop mail in votes, closing polling stations.

It’s straight from the Banana Republic playbook.

Larniavc · Feb 10, 2026

Hans Blaster said:
but then you scratch the surface and realize they have a Queen.

A King. King Prince Charles is the King of Canada.

wing2000 · Feb 10, 2026

ThatRobGuy said:
Well sure...

When a system is constructed to prevent evidence from ever emerging in the first place, that outcome isn't surprising.

...Can't build a system around intentionally creating an unknown, and then cite lack of evidence to substantiate a claim that "it doesn't really happen that much"

....sure Rob, all 50 states are bent on building a system "to prevent evidence from ever emerging".

wing2000 · Feb 10, 2026

Valletta said:
Germany has a great system. They keep a national registry of citizens and put them on the voter roles when they turn 18. If a citizen moves it is the responsibility of the citizen to provide a new address. Weeks before elections they notify everyone of their valid registration. Many election problems in the U.S. stem from states having their own systems. North Dakota, for example, doesn't even require voters to register.

Maybe that works for Germany. The U.S. Consititution relegates voting to the states. If you want a national system of voting, the constitution will need to be amended. Germany also has mandatory national ID cards. Is that what you want for the U.S.?

https://www.bmi.bund.de/EN/topics/administrative-reform/passports-identity-cards/national-identity-card/national-identity-card-node.html

As for North Dakota:
"North Dakota does not require voter registration, but you do need to have a valid form of identification that can be used for voting. This means you should make sure you have proper identification with you before you go to the polls to vote.

Valid forms of ID that can be used for voting are:

North Dakota Driver's License
North Dakota Non-Driver's License
Tribal ID or Tribal Letter
Long-Term Care Certificate

**********

Certain types of IDs are issued to non-U.S. citizens and North Dakota’s voter record flags anyone marked as a non-citizen so election officials can ensure only U.S. citizens are allowed to vote.

Voting in North Dakota

www.sos.nd.gov

Hans Blaster · Feb 10, 2026

Larniavc said:
A King. King Prince Charles is the King of Canada.

I thought the title was "Queen". My bad.

ThatRobGuy · Feb 10, 2026

wing2000 said:
....sure Rob, all 50 states are bent on building a system "to prevent evidence from ever emerging".

Not all fifty states...

...but if a state offers universal mail-in ballots combined with no ID requirement, that would prevent any evidence of voter irregularities from being detectable beyond the most very basic checks, would it not?

Obviously if I showed up and said "Yes, I'm Dorothy and I was born in 1942"...sure, they'd catch that.

However, if my brother said he wasn't going to vote (or perhaps a neighbor who's roughly the same age, etc...), so I showed up at the polling place and casted a ballot in his name, (I know his address, and we're close enough in age), the average poll worker would be none the wiser, as merely a DOB and a name isn't going to throw up any red flags (barring a poll worker actually knowing the person). And if I mail it in, and there's no identity verification, well fuhgeddaboudit.

wing2000 · Feb 10, 2026

ThatRobGuy said:
Not all fifty states...

View attachment 376383

...but if a state offers universal mail-in ballots combined with no ID requirement, that would prevent any evidence of voter irregularities from being detectable beyond the most very basic checks, would it not?

Obviously if I showed up and said "Yes, I'm Dorothy and I was born in 1942"...sure, they'd catch that.

However, if my brother said he wasn't going to vote (or perhaps a neighbor who's roughly the same age, etc...), so I showed up at the polling place and casted a ballot in his name, (I know his address, and we're close enough in age), the average poll worker would be none the wiser, as merely a DOB and a name isn't going to throw up any red flags (barring a poll worker actually knowing the person). And if I mail it in, and there's no identity verification, well fuhgeddaboudit.

Again, this bill does not adress Voter ID.
In any case, your map is misleading. Arizona requires ID. And yes, there is a provision for non-photo identificaiton:

You need a valid government issued ID that includes your name, photo and the address where you are registered to vote (List #1). If that ID does not match your voter record, you need two forms of ID (List #2 or #3). (A.R.S. § 16-579)

LIST #1

Photo identification with name and address — ONE REQUIRED

Acceptable forms of identification with photograph, name, and address of the elector — if the address on the ID does NOT match the address in the Signature Roster, the voter must vote a regular provisional ballot and does NOT have to return. OR, SEE LIST #3.

Valid Arizona driver license
Valid Arizona non-operating identification license
Tribal enrollment card or other form of tribal identification
Valid United States federal, state, or local government issued identification

An identification is "valid" unless it can be determined on its face that it has expired.

LIST #2

Non-photo identification (name and address only) — TWO REQUIRED

Acceptable forms of identification without a photograph that bear the name and address of the elector — if the address on the ID does NOT match the address in the Signature Roster, the voter must vote a regular provisional ballot and does NOT have to return.

Utility bill of the elector that is dated within ninety days of the date of the election. A utility bill may be for electric, gas, water, solid waste, sewer, telephone, cellular phone, or cable television
Bank or credit union statement that is dated within 90 days of the date of the election
Valid Arizona Vehicle Registration
Indian census card
Property tax statement of the elector's residence
Tribal enrollment card or other form of tribal identification
Vehicle insurance card
Valid United States federal, state, or local government issued identification
Voter Registration Card / Recorder's Certification
Any "Official Election Material" mailing bearing your name and address

https://elections.maricopa.gov/voting/id-at-the-polls.html

...back to your scenario: I suppose you could show up with your brother's utility bill, bank statement etc....and pull it off. But I submit that is a stretch.

Larniavc · Feb 10, 2026

Hans Blaster said:
I thought the title was "Queen". My bad.

King Prince Charles nee Queen.

Larniavc · Feb 10, 2026

ThatRobGuy said:
However, if my brother said he wasn't going to vote (or perhaps a neighbor who's roughly the same age, etc...), so I showed up at the polling place and casted a ballot in his name, (I know his address, and we're close enough in age), the average poll worker would be none the wiser, as merely a DOB and a name isn't going to throw up any red flags (barring a poll worker actually knowing the person). And if I mail it in, and there's no identity verification, well fuhgeddaboudit.

Correct. You would have voted twice. Now have that done enough times to be statistically significant and you can control the outcome of the state you live in.

Bravo!

ThatRobGuy · Feb 10, 2026

Larniavc said:
Correct. You would have voted twice. Now have that done enough times to be statistically significant and you can control the outcome of the state you live in.

Bravo!

I'm suggesting we don't know how much funny business takes place, because how could we?
A mail-in/no-ID system is basically the recipe for making such infractions relatively anonymous in most instances.

So the talking point of "there's no evidence that it's happening a lot" is a somewhat hollow one....

For instance:
I just looked at the police reports from city (of about 50,000 people), according to that, only 1 person got popped for OVI on the night of the Superbowl.

So while it'd be technically true to say "there's no evidence that more than one person drove drunk Superbowl Sunday", common sense would dictate that we know the actual number was more than 1, it's just that most people who do it don't get caught because there's no mechanism that can detect most of it.

stevevw · Feb 10, 2026

Hans Blaster said:
It isn't. I've done plenty of traveling and little of it was outside the US. Your general lack of precision in your writing is causing you problems again.

Slow down and read carefully what I said. I said the travel I am talking about is in the context of ID. If you don't use ID in domestic travel then its not what I am talking about. But you keep going back to domestic travel.

You need ID for international travel.

It does not matter if (you) have not done much international travel. Its the point that international travel requires ID. Its an example of using ID to stop bad stuff happening, illegals coming in and terrorist blowing up stuff.

The same as voter ID. To stop bad stuff like voter fraud.

By the way the vast majority of people support voter ID.

Hans Blaster · Feb 10, 2026

stevevw said:
Slow down and read carefully what I said. I said the travel I am talking about is in the context of ID. If you don't use ID in domestic travel then its not what I am talking about. But you keep going back to domestic travel.

You need ID for international travel.

It does not matter if (you) have not done much international travel. Its the point that international travel requires ID. Its an example of using ID to stop bad stuff happening, illegals coming in and terrorist blowing up stuff.

I don't care. I can't travel internationally within my country. It has absolutely nothing to do with voting. You can stop your pointless "equivocation" at anytime.

stevevw said:
The same as voter ID. To stop bad stuff like voter fraud.

By the way the vast majority of people support voter ID.

How many times do you guys need to be told this: This bill is *NOT* about voter ID.

ThatRobGuy · Feb 10, 2026

Hans Blaster said:
How many times do you guys need to be told this: This bill is *NOT* about voter ID.

Does "proof of citizenship" not count as a facet of identification verification?

Which one of these bullet points do people have an objection to?

The loudest opponents of this (progressives) certainly don't have sincere & principled libertarian tendencies, so that's not it.

So why would a group of people who've sought to socialize and nationalize as much as possible, draw the line at voting procedures?

Can we at least be honest about the fact that they know that universal mail-in, ID-free voting constructs favor the democrats, and that's their beef with this?

If it didn't, they wouldn't be fighting so hard against it.

Hans Blaster · Feb 10, 2026

ThatRobGuy said:
Does "proof of citizenship" not count as a facet of identification verification?

Never has before.

ThatRobGuy said:
View attachment 376397

Which one of these bullet points do people have an objection to?

The loudest opponents of this (progressives) certainly don't have sincere & principled libertarian tendencies, so that's not it.

So why would a group of people who've sought to socialize and nationalize as much as possible, draw the line at voting procedures?

Can we at least be honest about the fact that they know that universal mail-in, ID-free voting constructs favor the democrats, and that's their beef with this?

If it didn't, they wouldn't be fighting so hard against it.

stevevw · Feb 10, 2026

Hans Blaster said:
I don't care. I can't travel internationally within my country. It has absolutely nothing to do with voting. You can stop your pointless "equivocation" at anytime.

I am not going to stop my analogy because you think its pointless. An American can travel outside their nation. Especially those who are immigrants. They are most likely to travel internationally. So stop making it all about you.

Its a legitimate and good comparison to show the imp[ortance of ID.

Hans Blaster said:
How many times do you guys need to be told this: This bill is *NOT* about voter ID.

Ok so what does this mean

Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN), an original sponsor of the SAVE America Act, on Wednesday called for the passage of the legislation to require proof of citizenship to register to vote and mandate photo identification at the ballot box.

“If the United States cannot have fair and secure elections, then we hardly have a country anymore,” Banks said in a written statement. “President Trump is absolutely right: While states have a constitutional duty to administer elections, Congress has an important role to play in protecting our elections and we must act with urgency.”

He continued:

That is why it is vital that the Senate pass the SAVE America Act, legislation amending the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require that individuals present proof of citizenship to register to vote and mandate photo-ID at the ballot box.
This is a constitutional and commonsense security measure. Over 80% of Americans agree with Voter-ID laws. If you have to show ID in order to buy alcohol or rent a car, you should have to show ID in order to vote.

Banks was an original cosponsor of the SAVE America Act. He cosponsored it last April in the Senate, and cosponsored it in Congress when he served in the House.

When the Hoosier lawmaker served as the Republican Study Committee (RSC) chairman in 2021, he introduced the Save Our Democracy Act to require photo identification and citizenship to register to vote. Heritage Action made voting for the legislation a part of their scorecard for lawmakers.