The House of Representatives has done the right thing by passing the SAVE America Act (i.e., “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility”). This commonsense legislation requires proof of U.S. citizenship to register and a valid photo ID to vote in federal elections. It is a straightforward safeguard for election integrity — nothing more, nothing less.
Democrats and their media allies are already dusting off the same tired playbook they used against Georgia’s election reforms and every other state law that dares to ask voters to prove who they are. They are screaming “Jim Crow 2.0” and insisting the SAVE America Act will disproportionately harm black Americans. Democrats apparently believe black Americans aren’t smart enough or interested enough to get a photo ID.
This is the same insulting trickery Malcolm X warned about decades ago — the white leftists’ history of manufacturing racism to keep black voters dependent on Democrats. Their narrative is clear: Black Americans are supposedly too incompetent, too poor, or too intimidated to obtain the same identification the rest of us use every single day.
That belief is absurd. Every black person I know has an ID. Can critics of the SAVE America Act produce a single black voter who was turned away at the polls solely because he lacked photo identification? Of course, they cannot. The claim that these requirements disparately affect black voters rests on the racist assumption that there is something about being black that makes one less likely to possess identification. That is not an argument against voter ID — it is an argument against the dignity and capability of black Americans.
If requiring identification is truly racist, why do we only hear the outrage when it regards elections? Black Americans drive cars, open bank accounts, apply for credit, buy cell phones, sign up for utilities, board airplanes, and purchase firearms — all of which require ID. Yet somehow, only voting triggers the racist hysteria. That’s because the real objection isn’t discrimination; it’s that secure elections might catch illegal voting by noncitizens or repeat voters, which Democrats can’t abide.
The cost of a photo ID is minimal. In my home state of Indiana and many others, fees are waived for those who need it. Procuring an ID takes little time and can cost less than a fast-food meal. The idea that black voters would rather stay home than spend that small effort is not just false; it is deeply condescending. It treats grown adults like children who need the federal government to hold their hands all the way to the ballot box.
This patronizing lie dishonors the real Jim Crow era heroes who suffered poll taxes, literacy tests, and outright deadly violence that actually prevented black Americans from voting. Those were deliberate, humiliating barriers specifically designed to suppress black engagement. Requiring a photo ID to verify you are who you say you are, and that you are a citizen, protects the integrity of every lawful vote, including those cast by black Americans. Equating voter ID with Jim Crow-era atrocities is a disgrace to the memory of every patriot — black and white — who fought, bled, and died for the right to vote.
The SAVE America Act is not about suppressing anyone. It is about ensuring that only eligible American citizens decide American elections. Indiana’s photo ID law has been in place for years with strong support across racial lines and zero evidence of widespread disenfranchisement. The Supreme Court upheld it. The sky did not fall. Black voter turnout did not collapse.
The House has acted. Now the Senate must follow. Election integrity is not a partisan issue; it is an American issue. Black Americans, like all Americans, deserve elections they can trust. The SAVE America Act delivers exactly that. And the suggestion that we cannot handle showing an ID to protect that trust is not only wrong but offensive. We know better than that.
There is no middle ground here: You’re either for the SAVE America Act and secure, fair elections, or you’re for allowing unchecked cheating in federal elections. Choose wisely.
Curtis Hill is the former attorney general of Indiana.
