Congress should follow in the footsteps of state legislatures and pass a federal voter ID law that requires voters to present photo identification at the polls, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said Thursday.
Graham defended South Carolina’s recently passed voter ID law, which is under review by the Justice Department.
“I think what South Carolina did makes eminent sense to me,” Graham said at a hearing on state voting laws chaired by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL).
Durbin called the incidence of voter fraud in America minimal and said reported fraud “is often anecdotal, unsubstantiated and contrived.” Graham disagreed.
“You will see more of this, Mr. Chairman, not less,” Graham continued in his opening statement. “Thirty states have some form of voter ID requirement, so I think this is the future of the country, something we should embrace at the federal level, because elections do matter.”
Graham even raised the Sept. 11 attacks to justify restrictions on voter access.
“All the highjackers had — five or six — had fake drivers licenses, so I think sanctifying the voting process in a way that makes sense, in a way that makes sure we’re electing people based on registered voters, is a goal that we should all be concerned about,” Graham said.
He insisted that his support for voter ID measures wasn’t for partisan means.
“I have no desire to supress people from voting,” Graham said. “I want as many people to vote as possible, and all of them to vote for me, and I know that’s not realistic, and if you don’t vote for me, that’s okay.”
Ryan J. Reilly
Ryan J. Reilly is a D.C.-based reporter for TPM. Prior to joining TPM, he worked for a news website covering the Justice Department and was a researcher for Bloomberg News. His email address is ryan(at)talkingpointsmemo.com.
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