Fetterman Backs Voter ID but Rejects SAVE America Act

The Pennsylvania Democrat said voter ID is widely seen as reasonable, but the bill’s mail voting limits are a ‘non-starter,’ and it won’t clear a filibuster.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) leaves the Senate floor at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on July 15, 2025. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.)—who recently broke with many in his party to say that he supports photo ID being required to vote—said he does not support the Republican-backed Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act.

The SAVE America Act passed the House earlier this week with one House Democrat, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), joining Republicans to pass it. The bill would require proof of citizenship when registering to vote and would require photo identification when casting ballots, including mail-in ballots, along with other changes that include limits on registration by mail and more frequent voter-roll purges of ineligible voters.