Democrats have been fearmongering about voter ID for as long as I can remember. North Carolina, in particular, was one of the Republican-run states that leftist groups tried to sue into oblivion over the original voter ID bill that then-Gov. Pat McCrory (R) signed into law in 2013.
Though that law was overturned in 2016 by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, ultimately the state prevailed, in part thanks to a 2018 voter ID constitutional amendment that was approved by voters. The bill that passed from that was also challenged in the courts, though it was considered by some to be a more “lenient” version of the 2013 law. It was a court challenge that eventually failed, and voter ID remains on the books here in N.C.
In Washington, D.C., a Trump- and Republican-backed bill called the “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act,” which would essentially nationalize voter ID, has passed the House of Representatives. It would require documented proof of United States citizenship to be able to cast a vote in federal elections.
Previous versions of this bill passed the House in 2024 and 2025 but went nowhere in the Senate. The current bill faces an uncertain future in the Senate this time around as well.
Already, we’ve had the usual suspects on the left claim this “racist” and “sexist” bill would “disenfranchise” possibly millions of minority voters, particularly black, Hispanic and female voters, by allegedly putting an insurmountable burden on them to produce proof of citizenship documents like a birth certificate, passport or other government-issued photo IDs.
These are arguments that were rejected by the 56% of N.C. voters, for example, who in 2018 voted in favor of the voter ID constitutional amendment despite an intense saturation campaign from Democrats and their affiliated groups. Georgia voters, for instance, have also rejected such arguments, and in both states, record turnout has been seen in some presidential and midterm elections since voter ID became law in their respective states.
The most oft-pushed argument coming from Democrats this time around is that the SAVE America Act allegedly would make it difficult for people (especially married women) to prove they are who they say they are because some of them don’t have a copy of their birth certificate and supposedly have no idea how to get a copy.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), for instance, have both similarly claimed they had no idea where their birth certificates were or how to get one.
“I don’t have my birth certificate. God knows how I get it,” Sanders, an admitted Democratic Socialist who caucuses with Democrats, proclaimed during a KTLA interview last Friday.
“You’ve got to find your birth certificate. I have no clue where mine is,” Newsom said to Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) during a “This Is Gavin Newsom” podcast segment last week.
Firstly, I find these claims highly questionable. Surely both of these longtime, well-traveled politicos have passports, right?
But for the sake of argument, let’s say they are telling the truth. Many states have systems voters can use to obtain a copy of a birth certificate, including California and New York, where Sanders was born. Both of those states have websites you can visit to begin the process of obtaining a copy of your birth certificate. Many counties across the country offer this service as well.
Despite the Democrats’ scare tactics, voter ID continues to be an idea that enjoys broad support nationally, with polls in 2025, for instance, showing 82% of Americans approve of it, including a large number (71%) of Democratic voters.
When it comes down to it, the only people who seem to oppose voter ID are elected Democrats. Perhaps it’s time for more people to start demanding to know the real reasons why.
North Carolina native Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah and is a media analyst and regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrection.
