(Radio Iowa) – The U-S Senate is scheduled to debate the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act this week, and Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is a co-sponsor of what’s known as the SAVE America Act. It would require people to show proof of citizenship, like a driver’s license or passport, when registering to vote. Grassley, a Republican, calls it a common-sense way to strengthen our nation’s election process. “Now, I’m not here to say that there’s a massive amount of fraud,” Grassley says, “but requiring people to show proof of citizenship to vote and requiring photo ID to ensure the person casting the ballot is the person registered to vote.” Grassley says 36 states, including Iowa, already require a photo I-D in order to register.

Some key Senate Republicans say they will vote against moving forward with the bill as President Trump is pushing to include the elimination of voting by mail, with only a few exceptions. Grassley says he favors keeping absentee voting as an option. Grassley says, “This bill, with 80% of the people supporting it, 71% of the Democrats supporting voter ID, this bill deserves to be debated.” Reports say some Senate Republicans fear that getting rid of absentee voting in rural states will cost G-O-P votes if would-be voters have to travel a long way to cast a ballot.

Trump reportedly wants “no excuses” for mail-in voting, only allowing exceptions like military duty, serious illness, or disability. Grassley says, “Republicans in Iowa have worked real hard over a period of the last three or four national elections to do as well as the Democrats do in absentee ballot, mail-in voting.” He says it shouldn’t be a big deal to have to show an I-D to register to vote, as people already have to produce proof of who they are when doing things like renting a hotel room, boarding a plane, or buying alcohol.