>> Voting rights groups are sounding the alarm over the safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act or the save Act.

The proposed federal legislation would require voters to display a photo ID as well as proof of citizenship either or birth certificate or passport to register to vote.

It would also impose criminal penalties on officials who register voters without proper documentation.

The bill passed out of the House yesterday but faces an uphill battle in the Senate.

Joining us to discuss the bill are Ed Yong CA Communications and public policy director of the ACLU of Illinois and state Senator Andrew Chesney.

A Republican whose district includes Freeport in Western Illinois.

Gentlemen, thanks to both for joining us.

Welcome back.

Welcome.

So, let's start let's start with how election officials in polling places verify American citizenship among voters as it is right now.

For the most part, voters present identification either through a state ID or some other kind of I D.

>> When they register to vote and they sign an affidavit saying that they are eligible to vote.

We've had that system in place for over many years.

And there is little or no evidence that there is any issue with non-citizens voting.

There are reports in almost every election cycle of a handful of people who either attempt to a vote attempt to impersonate someone to vote attempt to vote in some other way.

Those things are dealt with at the local level and those people are weeded out and punished.

What this is is an attempt from the federal level to take what are really, you know, conspiracy theories and turn them into federal policy.

Senator Szczesny, do you think the current system the way the way it's just described is that sufficient?

>> No, it's And if you ask the public, they agree that's not sufficient.

It's overwhelming Democrats, Republicans and independents support a voter ID system.

There's no evidence of jet that suggest that a voter I ID system suppresses votes.

The Democrats want to make it easy to vote, but also easy to cheat.

And we want free and fair elections.

We want people to participate in the process.

What we don't want or for non-citizens and illegal immigrants to have access 2, our ability to vote and most developed countries throughout the world have a voter ID system.

And my question to anybody that opposes it.

What is there to hide?

>> Let me let me answer that question.

The question is not only what is there to hide, but what is the problem?

We're fixing because again, there is little to no evidence that any kind that there is there is any kind of mass fraud.

The reason that there are 8 they are able to point to polls that suggest that people fear the integrity of the system is because we have had the person in this country with the loudest megaphone wine for a decade about losing elections when he loses their cheating when he went when he wins, everything's OK.

So this is just nonsense.

But the other thing if you look back to the even when the Supreme Court of the United States allowed a voter ID system in Indiana case, then Justice Scalia who wrote the majority opinion acknowledge that there were people who were going to be denied the right to vote because they didn't have access to an ID.

You can't say you're for free and fair elections for people to be included and then say, oh, yes, but we want to cut people out.

It just doesn't work.

And proponents of the save act.

They say it would prevent illegal immigrants and it from voting in American elections.

Right?

>> That doesn't happen That doesn't happen and say that.

>> I would say that 72% of Democrats support voter ID and that's certainly not people that support the president and also voter ID is simply common sense.

You have to do this to transact into function in civilized society.

You need this to bank.

You need this to to access government services.

And so if if this is if this hill is so high to climb, then why do we require this for virtually every function in life?

With the exception of one of our greatest responsibilities, which is the opportunity and the right to vote.

one reason it's to make it easy to cheat.

>> first of all, if that were true, then at some point, some would be to be able to prove the cheating in a court of law.

They can.

Number 2, we keep hearing about polls and who supports what I just say.

I keep reading the polls about the number of people who don't support the president's mass deportation program.

I presume he's going to drop back tomorrow as a result.

If we're doing things by poll, OK?

So senator, according to the University of Maryland Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement, nearly 4 million Americans, though, lack any form of citizenship, documentation.

>> Could the save act make it harder for those people to vote?

>> Well, I can only speak for Illinois and they provide everything for free.

And if you need an ID, you can get it for free.

If you need a birth certificate there, $15 and I'd be happy to support legislation for those that can afford it.

That out would make that at low cost or no cost as well.

Let's be clear.

These are not fight financial barriers that Democrats and progressives have an issue with.

These are voting outcomes and they the Democrats only support policies were voting outcomes are going to improve their chances of winning.

That's all this is.

That's why 72% of Democrats and 95% of Republicans supported the system.

That is why Canada, the UK, Denmark, all have a voter ID system that's not to suppress the vote.

That's to make certain that in our case U.S.

citizens or legal citizens are voting no different than every other country in the industrialized world wants to make certain that their citizens are the only people voting.

And so this is about voting.

Now comes this isn't about barriers or it Clear at Let's be clear.

>> The save act is not about voter ID.

It is about proof of citizenship, including a document that matches your current name.

There are 5 million Illinoisans who don't have access to a passport.

There are 2.5 million Illinoisans mostly women whose birth certificate does not match their current name on their voting registration because they have been they change their name when they are married.

Those folks would all be at risk of being not from the rolls being challenge and voting officials who are would be threatened with criminal penalties if they allowed those people to vote, which would discourage more participation.

This is not a voter ID law or this is not a voter integrity law.

This is a voter suppression law, pure and simple.

So Senator, you mentioned, you know, getting an ID in Illinois that can be free for some folks on but getting a passport book.

>> Costs $130 newser.

Federal documents, of course, getting a passport card $30.

It is.

I mean, should American citizens have to pay to vote if they need a passport to prove their citizenship and vote?

>> It's not controversial to suggest that we want to know Who you say you are is who you are, that it's only controversial to Democrats and prevent progressive, which is why most moderate countries have adopted voter ID.

Voter ID laws.

You need birth certificates to function.

You need ID's to function.

These are not these are not radical ideas that you should have to prove.

You are who you say you are.

It is only because Democrats want to manipulate the outcomes within our elections and they don't want you to prove it.

So what the in the state of Illinois is we're not going to ask for your ID or not going to purge voter rolls and then show us where the fraud is.

we just say, hey, if you want to vote to shows you are we are.

What's controversial about that, Denmark, Sweden, UK, Canada.

They all figured it out there.

They're not exactly some conservative right-wing countries.

The reason Democrats are pushing back so far on this is because they know they have a problem.

If we have to ask people to identify who they are prior to them or during the voting process.

And the Democrats don't want don't want look under the hood on this issue.

And this will bill, the short comings of our current system, but also tightened up.

Here's the deal.

Everybody in this country should know when they vote.

Their vote is counted.

Their vote accurate.

And then there is no interference in our elections.

So turn personal presented great filibuster.

>> But with political talking points about Democrats that just say that we have a president in the White House who is scared to death, that there will be a Congress that will hold him accountable and he intends to medal and he intends to cheat and he intends to do anything that he can to ensure that that doesn't happen.

This process as part of it.

15 seconds left to DC any room for compromise between the 2 groups.

One calling for stricter voter.

Right.

voter ID laws and one that is I think think there are 2 things that we could look at.

I think a long-term analysis of what is actually happening in our voting system.

And I think looking at how we would provide people with ideas and access for free, I think are things people could discuss.

But but that's it really basically