Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday touted a voter identification proposal in the United Kingdom as a model for what should be done in the United States.
Such voting reforms are necessary “so we never again have an election rigged and stolen from us,” Trump said in a statement, alluding to the 2020 election.
The announcement on Tuesday of a proposal to require U.K. voters to show a photo ID to vote was made as part of the “Queen’s Speech,” an address delivered by Queen Elizabeth II and prepared by the ruling party that lays out Parliament’s priorities. The speech is not meant to represent the queen’s own opinions.
BRITISH GOVERNMENT POISED TO REQUIRE VOTER ID IN FUTURE ELECTIONS TO COMBAT FRAUD
“The Government of the United Kingdom is proposing that anyone who wants to vote in a British election should show photo ID to eliminate any corruption and fraud and ‘ensure the integrity of elections,'” Trump said. “This is exactly what we should do in the United States, unlike the Democrats who want to abolish Voter ID laws with passing their horrible HR 1 Bill.”
The bill Trump referenced was passed by the House on March 3 without any Republican support. If passed by the Senate in its current form and signed by President Joe Biden, the legislation would create nationwide automatic voter registration, require states to allow no-excuse absentee voting, and allow felons who have completed their incarceration to vote, among other changes.
The bill would not ban voter ID laws outright. It would, however, allow those who vote in person in a state with identification requirements to provide a written, signed statement under penalty of perjury that attests to their identity in lieu of photo ID. The provision would only apply to federal elections.
“Democrats just voted to ban voter ID nationwide and force every state to permanently expand mail-in voting,” Republican Rep. Steve Scalise said on Twitter after the bill was passed.
When his office was asked to clarify the statement, Lauren Fine, a spokeswoman for Scalise, told FactCheck.org, “The exceptions are so wide that it renders voter ID laws unenforceable and useless in the states that have it.”
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“Showing identification to vote is a reasonable approach to combat the inexcusable potential for voter fraud in our current system and strengthen its integrity,” a spokesperson for the U.K. Cabinet Office said. “Evidence shows that voter identification does not impact turnout, and it has been operating in Northern Ireland with ease for decades. A broad range of photographic documents will be accepted, not just limited to passports and driver’s licenses. We have also been clear that a free voter card will be available if needed.”
Critics argue voter ID laws unfairly target poor communities.
“It’s illiberal,” David Davis, a former senior minister of Parliament, said. “It’s an illiberal solution in pursuit of a nonexistent problem. If you’ve got an ID card, you’re putting a barrier in the way of people to exercise their own democratic rights, which is not necessary and shouldn’t be there.”
