In touting SAVE Act, Johnson refuses to cite any fraud it would have prevented

Mar. 18, 2026, 12:37 PM EDT

House Speaker Mike Johnson’s, R-La., refusal, or perhaps inability, to name a single example of voter fraud that would have been prevented by Republicans’ SAVE Act, which has the potential to disenfranchise millions of eligible votersprovided a revealing kickoff to the Senate’s debate on the legislation.

At a Tuesday press conference pegged to the Senate beginning debate on the bill, Johnson was asked to provide an example of previously committed voter fraud that the SAVE Act would have stopped. Johnson dismissed the question saying, “We’re not gonna litigate that,” before going on with his talking points.

Considering any act of actual voter fraud warrants being litigated, both in actual court and in the court of public opinion, it was an interesting choice of words.

Note the little trick Johnson used after declining to provide an example, because it’s a trick many Republicans are using these days. He said polling suggests a broad majority of Americans support requiring a photo ID to vote and that this amounts to support for the SAVE Act, which, beyond requiring a photo ID, would authorize other disenfranchising policies, such as limiting mail-in voting. It’s also worth noting Republicans have not proposed corresponding changes to make it easier for people to obtain the IDs they’d require, which is why many of the bill’s critics have said the SAVE Act is essentially a poll tax reminiscent of Jim Crow.

As for the polling equating to support for the bill, that isn’t always a measure of a policy’s efficacy or constitutionality. U.S. history is replete with examples in which broad public opinion has been at odds with civil rights.

But Johnson’s evasion is what’s most notable here. It’s remarkable that the MAGA movement, whose membership embraced slogans such as “facts over feelings,” seems bereft of facts to support claims that the SAVE Act is anything other than a ploy to help Republicans commandeer the electoral process and help the party win races.

Trump himself exposed the true motive behind this voter suppression effort. As he’s faced growing unpopularitythe president has called for his administration to “take over” elections in areas where Democrats have won and has pressured Republican lawmakers to pass the SAVE Act.

“He promised Republican lawmakers last week that passing the bill would ‘guarantee the midterms’ for the GOP,” the Washington Post reported Wednesday.

Even the conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board denounced the bill, arguing “a pyrrhic victory isn’t worth busting the Senate filibuster.”

“Although Mr. Trump insists that voter fraud is endemic, his big claims aren’t backed by hard evidence,” the editors wrote. They also warn the bill’s restrictions on absentee voting risk overruling conservative-led states. The SAVE Act, they pointed out, “wouldn’t turn blue states red, and it can’t save Republicans from voter anger at unpopular policies.”

Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog.