U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) speaks next to U.S. Senate Republican Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) at Senate Republicans’ press conference following their weekly policy lunch, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., Feb. 10, 2026.
Kent Nishimura | Reuters
The Senate on Tuesday afternoon voted to kick off what could be a dayslong debate over the SAVE America Act, the controversial voter-ID bill backed by President Donald Trump.
“We’re not going to let it pass. We’re going to fight it tooth and nail,” Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., said on Tuesday morning ahead of the vote. “We’re prepared to stay here all day and all night, or multiple days and multiple nights and even multiple weeks , if necessary, to make sure the SAVE Act suffers the death that it deserves.”
The legislation, which advanced out of the House in February, would require proof of citizenship to register and photo ID to cast a ballot in elections. Those provisions would take effect immediately upon passage, potentially upending the 2026 midterm elections which will decide who controls the House and Senate.
Tuesday’s 51-48 vote cleared the way for debate in the chamber and required only a simple majority. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, was the lone Republican to join all Democrats in voting against the measure. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who had voiced concerns about wasting time that could be used for other legislating, did not vote.
Padilla and other Senate Democrats have vowed to block the bill, which will need 60 votes to overcome a filibuster and secure final passage in the chamber. With a 53-47 majority, Republicans do not have the votes to pass the legislation, but hardliners and allies of Trump have promised to grind the Senate to a halt and put their Democratic colleagues on record on an issue that they believe is popular with voters.
“It’s just common sense. And polls show that the American people agree,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., from the Senate floor on Tuesday.
