President Trump's State of the Union address sparks debate over SAVE Act voting proposal

Illinois GOP says there is widespread support, League of Women Voters says law could disenfranchise millions of Illinois voters

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Reaction poured in Wednesday to President Donald Trump's push in his State of the Union address for a new law to tighten requirements for voting.

Republicans support the changes, but voting rights advocates say it would disenfranchise many people who are legally eligible to vote.

At the heart of the debate lies the question of voter fraud and if non-citizens are actually voting in any large numbers. The president claims that fraud is rampant, but he offered no proof. Bi-partisan groups claim it's rare, making the law unnecessary.

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE America Act, would require people to provide documentary proof of citizenship when they register to vote. The president was pushing for Senate passage of the bill Tuesday night, as it's already been approved in the House.

It's very simple all voters must show voter ID," Trump said. "All voters must show proof of citizenship in order to vote."

"The SAVE Act is, is a restriction on voting," election attorney Michael Dorf said. "It's requiring proof of citizenship, which has never been required before."

Dorf also says the proposed federal voting requirements would pose a number of constitutional questions, with most election authority currently granted to the states.

If the state legislature says you don't have to show citizenship to vote for Senator, how can Congress change it?" Dorf said. "And then you still got the 14th Amendment, which says that no citizen shall be deprived of the equal protection of the law."

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Early voting is now well underway for the March primary. Kathy Salvi, Chairwoman of the Illinois Republican Party, says polls show widespread support for the law.

"It's a common sense piece of legislation," Salvi said. "It would restore faith in our electoral process, and we need those voters to know that integrity and security of our elections is a top priority in our country."

"The SAVE Act, in particular, is a solution without a problem," said Kathy Cortez with the League of Women Voters Illinois.

Cortez says suggestions of widespread voter fraud are just not supported by the facts, and that even if some small fraction of people have illegally voted, it has not changed any election outcomes.

"You ought to be able to vote in in an American election if you're if you're a citizen and you and you've been an active voter before," Cortez said. "So I think we should focus on getting people out to the polls, getting the 40 to 50% of the people out to the polls who don't vote."

The League of Women Voters says the law would potentially disenfranchise millions of Illinois voters.

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The Senate Republican Leader would not commit to any timeframe for a vote, but said it could require 60 votes for passage, and currently there are only 53 Republicans.

Experts say if it were passed before the November election, it would likely be tied up in legal challenges for some time.