VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: CNY lawmakers react to Trump’s State of the Union, SAVE America Act.
Sydney-Leigh Brockington: President Donald Trump arrived on Capitol Hill Tuesday night with lagging approval ratings and his party’s midterm fortunes at stake. Now, Central New York officials are reacting to the address. During the nearly two hour long speech, Trump called out congress to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, also known as the SAVE America Act – which would require proof of citizenship to vote. Trump claims this has caused fraudulent election activities, which he says lead him to lose in the 2020 election.
President Donald Trump: I’m asking you to approve the SAVE America act. Stop illegal aliens and others who are unpermitted persons from voting in our sacred American elections. The cheating is rampant in our elections. It’s rampant.
Brockington: Voting rights groups and experts say the bill will negatively affect millions of voters, including those who do not have easy access to documents, such as a birth certificate or passport, needed for registration. The law also requires a valid photo ID at the time of voting. Local Central New York government officials reacted to Trump’s address and his desire to pass the act. Onondaga County Legislative Majority Leader Nodesia Hernandez is encouraging her constituents to keep performing their civic duty.
Nodesia Hernandez: Don’t believe the hype. Don’t believe the nonsense. Make sure you still continue to register to vote. I want my constituents to make sure they still exercise their civic duties of voting and bring other people with them to vote.
Brockington: Other CNY lawmakers have also shared their thoughts on the bill. Representative John Mannion reassured his constituents that voter fraud is not occurring.
John Mannion: Our elections are run professionally. Republicans and Democrats keep getting elected to office. Our boards of election are run in a bipartisan way. People who are not citizens of this country are not voting in elections.
Brockington: Now, the SAVE Act has passed in the House of Representatives, but its path remains unclear in the Senate. Reporting for NCC News, I’m Sydney-Leigh Brockington.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — President Donald Trump arrived on Capitol Hill Tuesday night with lagging approval ratings and his party’s midterm fortunes at stake. Now, Central New York officials are reacting to the address.
During the nearly two hour long speech, Trump called out Congress to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, also known as the SAVE America Act – which would require proof of citizenship to vote. Trump claims this has caused fraudulent election activities, which he says led him to lose in the 2020 election.
“I’m asking you to approve the SAVE America Act,” Trump said. “Stop illegal aliens and others who are unpermitted persons from voting in our sacred American elections. The cheating is rampant.”
Voting rights groups and experts say the bill will negatively affect millions of voters, including those who do not have easy access to documents, such as a birth certificate or passport, needed for registration. The law also requires a valid photo ID at the time of voting.
Local Central New York government officials reacted to Trump’s address and his desire to pass the act.
Onondaga County Legislative Majority Leader Nodesia Hernandez is encouraging her constituents to keep performing their civic duty.
“Don’t believe the hype. Don’t believe the nonsense,” Hernandez said. “Make sure you still continue to register to vote. I want to make sure my constituents still fulfill their civic duty of voting and bring other people with them to vote.”
Other CNY lawmakers have also shared their thoughts on the bill.
New York’s 22nd Congressional District Representative John Mannion reassured his constituents that voter fraud is not occurring.
“Our elections are run professionally. Republicans and Democrats keep getting elected to office,” Mannion said. “Our boards of election are run in a bipartisan way. People who are not citizens are not voting in elections.”
The SAVE Act has passed in the House of Representatives, but its path remains unclear in the Senate.