On Thursday, March 26, 2026, the United States Senate voted on whether to require photo ID to vote in federal elections. (Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate was unable to agree Thursday on whether to require photo ID to vote in federal elections as the chamber debated a larger bill that would make several changes to how Americans register and cast ballots.
A 53-47 procedural vote rejected Ohio GOP Sen. Jon Husted’s amendment to the SAVE America Act, which President Donald Trump and some GOP lawmakers say is necessary piece of legislation but Democrats say will make it more hard for Americans to vote.
The bill already contained a section very similar to the amendment, but the vote gave Republicans the opportunity to let Democrats know whether they supported voter identification when casting a ballot.
California Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla urged lawmakers to oppose the amendment, saying the vote was a sign of “showoff and theatrics” on the part of Republicans.
Padilla said such efforts would prevent people from using student IDs or tribal IDs, which do not have an expiration date, to participate “in our democracy, even if you qualify.”
He said requiring photo ID to vote would also pose an “additional and unnecessary obstacle” to tens of millions of Americans voting by mail.
“In the 2024 elections, 48 million voters chose to vote by mail,” he said. “And in case you missed the breaking news a few days ago, President Trump once again voted by mail in the special election in Florida. So what is it, good enough for the president, but not good enough for the rest of us? Safe enough for the president, but not safe enough for the American people?”
Republicans defend photo ID
During floor debate on the proposal, Husted said his amendment was “pure, simple and direct.”
“States across the country have shown that you can make it easier to vote and harder to cheat at the same time,” he said. “Georgia, Wisconsin, New Hampshire and my home state of Ohio all require photo ID, just to name a few.”
Husted said it is “common sense” for Americans to prove who they are when they vote.
“Americans are required to show photo ID when renting a car, starting work and boarding a plane. People do it every day,” he said.
New rules for postal voting
The amendment would require each person voting in person to provide election workers with valid photo identification, which would include a driver’s license, a state-issued ID card, a U.S. passport, a military ID issued by the Department of Defense or the Department of Veterans Affairs, or a tribal ID card with an expiration date.
Americans submitting an absentee ballot would have to send a copy of their photo ID. If for some reason a voter was unable to do so, they could submit the last four digits of their Social Security number along with a sworn statement that they could not provide a copy of their ID.
The provision would require state or local election officials “to the extent practicable” to provide citizens with access to a digital scanner and printer to copy their photo IDs for mail-in ballots.
State election officials would be required to notify citizens of the up-to-date photo ID requirement to cast a ballot when registering to vote.
The bill itself which contains several other provisionsthere is no chance of advancement in the Senate among the Democratic opposition. Top legislation cannot move forward without the support of at least 60 senators, a procedural step called a legislative filibuster.
Republicans earlier this week had foreseen this possibility moving pieces of packaging complicated budget reconciliation processthough several GOP senators acknowledged it would be hard to move the policy proposal along a path designed to address changes in federal taxes, spending and the debt limit.
