The House of Representatives just passed a major piece of election integrity legislation called the SAVE Act, which requires a picture ID to vote in federal elections. This idea is wildly popular with Americans from both parties and would seem like an obvious bill to support. However, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski has promised to vote against it in the Senate, dooming this bill to failure. Murkowski says she is doing this on constitutional grounds, but all she is doing by opposing this bill is illustrating her ignorance of the Constitution and her hypocrisy.

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE Act) contains pretty simple language. It requires voters to provide identification that proves that they are American citizens before being allowed to vote in federal elections. This requirement is the same identification that is required to get on an airplane. It would seem like a no-brainer, and participants in a PEW Research poll agree. The poll found that 83% of the people polled, including majorities of both Democrats and Republicans, believe that this is a good idea. Lisa disagrees, and she cites the U.S. Constitution for justification. She says the Constitution gives states the right to set their own election laws and the federal government shouldn’t get involved. Unfortunately, she is telling a half-truth. With respect to elections, the U.S. Constitution says in Article 1, Section 4, Clause 1.

The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of choosing Senators.

Lisa wants to rely on the first part of Section 4 that gives states the right to run their own elections, but omits mentioning the second part that gives Congress the right to make election laws. She makes this intentional omission because it doesn’t fit into her narrative. For some reason, Murkowski wants to preserve the current election system that permits ineligible voters to participate in American elections.

She wasn’t always opposed to federal meddling in election laws. In a statement saying she didn’t support the SAVE Act, Murkowski mentioned Congress tried to do this once before. She is right, in 2021, with a Democratic majority, Congress attempted to pass a major election reform law. Murkowski says that the law did not pass, and this one shouldn’t either.

Again, Princess Lisa likes to tell half-truths and leave out important facts. In 2021, when the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act was voted on in the Senate, only one Republican senator voted for it. You guessed it, Lisa Murkowski was that Senator. The bill ultimately failed to pass due to a Republican filibuster, but when she says she opposes changes to election laws at the federal level, she is not being honest. She supports changes, but only if they benefit Democrats.

Today, 49 Senators have signed on as co-sponsors to the SAVE Act. There are four Republicans who have not. You guessed it, one of them is Lisa Murkowski. Our country is at a crossroads. Going forward, we will pass this law to ensure we have fair elections, or we will continue permitting Democrat election cheating, like what is now being investigated in Fulton County, Georgia.

Today, Lisa Murkowski is standing in the way of ensuring election integrity. By doing so, she is enabling election cheating and, at the same time, demonstrating both her ignorance of the U.S. Constitution and her hypocrisy.

The views expressed here are those of Greg Sarber. Read more Sarber posts at his Seward’s Folly substack.

Click here to support the Alaska Watchman.