Key facts
- President Trump is pushing the SAVE America Act, which seeks to limit mail-in voting.
- The Supreme Court upheld a Mississippi law allowing mail ballots received up to five days after Election Day to be counted.
- Trump has identified Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Thom Tillis, Bill Cassidy, and Mitch McConnell as "Hold Outs" on the bill.
- The SAVE America Act would require voters to present photo identification and proof of citizenship.
- Trump claims, without evidence, that mail-in voting is responsible for widespread fraud.
President Trump is doubling down on his push for the SAVE America Act, a legislative proposal aimed at significantly restricting mail-in voting, following a recent Supreme Court decision. The court upheld a Mississippi law that permits election officials to count mail-in ballots received up to five days after Election Day. This ruling comes as Trump has fixated on limiting mail voting, which he has baselessly claimed is a source of widespread fraud.
Despite some Senate Republicans indicating the SAVE America Act lacks sufficient support, Trump has publicly called out five senators as "Hold Outs": Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). A core tenet of the proposed act, according to Trump, would be to drastically limit the availability of mail-in voting, with few exceptions. Additionally, the bill would mandate that voters present photo identification and proof of citizenship.
Many states currently allow mail-in ballots to be counted if postmarked by Election Day, even if received after the election, with some extending this grace period for military and overseas voters. The Trump administration had previously attempted to empower the Postal Service to withhold ballots if states did not provide voter rolls, but this executive order was blocked by a federal judge.