Murkowski has become the first Senate Republican to speak out against the Trump election bill

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) on Tuesday became the first Republican senator to speak out against a House GOP-drafted bill that would require people to show documented proof of citizenship and ID to vote before registering to vote, a top priority of the Trump administration.

Murkowski, a prominent centrist Republican, said the Constitution authorizes states to organize federal elections for Senate and House seats, and warned that imposing sweeping federal requirements on local election officials months before Election Day would threaten the integrity of midterm elections.

“When Democrats tried to advance comprehensive election reform legislation in 2021, Republicans were unanimous in their opposition because it would have led to a federal election, something we’ve long opposed. Now, I’m seeing proposals like the SAVINGS Act and MEGA that would effectively do that,” Murkowski wrote in a statement posted on social media.

“Again, I do not support these efforts,” he declared.

She said the Constitution “clearly” gives states the power to regulate the time, place and method of federal elections.

He argued that “one-size-fits-all” mandates from Washington rarely work in his home state.

“Election day is fast approaching. As states deepen their preparations and implement new federal requirements, election officials may be forced to follow new policies without the necessary resources, which will negatively impact election integrity,” she said.

“Ensuring public confidence in our elections is at the core of our democracy, but federal overreach is not how we achieve it,” added Murkowski.

The House is expected to pass the Safeguard American Voter Qualifications Act – or Save America Act – on Wednesday. It has passed a similar version of the law, formerly known as the Savings Act, several times over the past few years.

Murkowski’s statement comes as Senate conservatives, led by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), are pushing Senate GOP leaders to reinterpret the Senate’s filibuster rule to make it easier to pass legislation.

Lee made a presentation at the Senate GOP conference Tuesday afternoon that Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R.S.D.) urged Democrats to actively hold the floor with speeches around the clock if they want to stop the election bill.

Thune, however, is hesitant to deploy that strategy, as it could tie up the Senate floor for weeks.

And Democrats, if they regain control of Congress and the White House, will need Republicans to engage in constant floor debate to block Democratic legislative priorities.

The SAVE America Act requires states to review voting rolls to purge inactive voters, which some critics say could potentially prevent some infrequent voters from participating because of faulty data.

Senate Democrats have criticized the Save America Act as legislation that would make it harder for minority and low-income voters to vote.

“Let’s be clear, the SAVE Act is not about protecting our elections. It’s about voter suppression. The SAVE Act seeks to disenfranchise millions of Americans, seize control of our elections, and fan the flames of electoral skepticism and denialism,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.CRA) said in a statement. Legislation.

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