— I am not in favor of federalization of elections. I think it's a constitutional matter, said Senate Republican leader John Thune on Tuesday during a conversation with journalists, referring to Donald Trump's words.
What position did the leaders of the Republican Party take towards Trump's proposals?
What did John Thune say about the federalization of elections?
What changes would Trump's election proposals make?
What do critics of the SAVE Act project think?
This was a comment on Monday's statement by the US president, who, in an interview with former FBI deputy chief Dan Bongino, said that Republicans should “take over” and “nationalize” the organization of elections in at least 15 states ruled by Democrats. Trump claimed that immigrants were voting illegally in these states and claimed that if his party did not do so, it would have no chance of winning.
According to Article I of the American Constitution, state authorities are responsible for organizing elections to Congress, although Congress has the right to introduce limited regulations regarding this matter. Trump's call was also dismissed on Tuesday by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who claimed the president was “merely expressing frustration about the problems that exist” in Democratic-led states.
Donald Trump's spokeswoman explains the US president's expectations
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt also partially withdrew from Trump's demand. As she told reporters on Tuesday, the president did not call for the federal government to take over the administration of elections, but talked about the SAVE Act bill, which would introduce the obligation to show proof of US citizenship when registering for elections and to show an ID card before voting.
Critics of the project believe that introducing this requirement would make it much more difficult to participate in elections or make postal voting impossible. More than half of eligible voters do not have valid passports.
Trump's words came after the FBI last week raided a voting center in Fulton County, Georgia, and confiscated millions of ballots as part of an investigation into the 2020 election, which the president said was fraudulent.
