On Wednesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Way Too Early,” Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY) discussed the SAVE Act and cited his issues with getting the REAL ID that “We have to do”, although he said he “will go through the process. I will pay the money to get whatever duplicate documents I need, and I will go back and get my REAL ID.” But people registering to vote might give up.
Host Ali Vitali asked, “[A] Gallup poll from October of last year showed that 83% of people agree with requiring people who are registering to vote for the first time to show proof of citizenship. So, what would you say to the people who say, I don’t know, this bill kind of sounds like it might be a good idea?”
Morelle answered, “I think it’s one of these things that may sound good to a person, until they’re shuffling around trying to find their passport, if they have one, their birth certificate, if they can find it, if they can locate it. I went for my REAL ID a couple of weeks ago. We have to do this, inadvertently forgot my Social Security cards and now I can’t find them. And I’m incredibly organized. My wife can tell you I have folders on everything. I can’t find it. I don’t know what happened to them. So, I’m reapplying, but think about it, I have to get a REAL ID. I will go through the process. I will pay the money to get whatever duplicate documents I need, and I will go back and get my REAL ID. But if you’re registering to vote and you have to do this and you’ve forgotten something at your local board of elections — because you can’t register by mail any longer, forget about voting by mail, you won’t even be able to register — people will simply say, and I think this is the point, yeah, this is too much, I’d love to vote, but I don’t know where my things are and I don’t have a passport, so, the heck with it, I’m going to go home.”
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