JD Vance Blasted for 'Voter ID' Remarks: 'To Get on an Airplane, To Buy a Beer, You Need Voter ID'

JD Vance's assertion that Americans need 'voter ID' for anything from planes to booze has sparked outrage online and raised the question of 'what will happen to voting rights?'

During an interview with Lara Trump at Fox News, Vance said citizens need 'voter ID' for nearly every activity.

He said, 'It's so simple to get on an airplane, you need voter ID.' He added, 'To buy a beer, you need voter ID, but to do the most important thing that we do as American citizens, exercising our right to vote, we let anybody vote without any confirmation they actually have the right to vote in our elections. Now I think Laura, that's actually a form of theft.'

The comment came as Vance was promoting the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship before someone could register or re-register to vote.

Furthermore, Vance also told the outlet, 'What the Democrats will say, and I always find this so funny, they'll say it's racist to ask for voter ID.'

'I actually think that's kind of racist, assuming that people of color can't get a driver's license?' he added. 'And by the way, if you look at the polling, black, brown, Asian, everybody agrees it is a 90-10 issue that we should have voter ID to vote in our elections,' he continued.

The SAVE Act explained

The Save Act would require voters to present a birth certificate, passport or other citizenship document. It would also require a valid photo ID at the polls, which some states already have.

Proponents say the bill prevents 'voter fraud' and maintains clean elections. Critics cite data from the Brennan Centre for Justice that found that 21.3 million citizens, or 9 per cent, don't have easy access to the paperwork that the act would require.

'Requiring proof of citizenship would solve nothing, but it would create major barriers to registration for eligible voters, especially those who already face disproportionate barriers to participation in our democracy. We should be making it easier, not harder, for these citizens to participate,' Brennan Centre wrote their analysis.

The public's reactions are not that great. The comments are indicative of the firestorm that Vance's remarks lit, cutting across party lines.

The internet erupted. One user wrote, 'So tourists can't buy a beer, because they don't have a voter ID? Huge if true!'

Another replied, 'Uhhh . . .no I just need my drivers licence NOT what is required in the SAVE Act.'

A third added, 'In these two people's world your name magically appears on voter rolls, people are showing up & impersonating u to steal your vote and someone is paying people to do it. But they can't believe a guy that partied with a pedo for years did anything that can get you in trouble.'

Perspectives on voter fraud

Political scientists studying the law of voting agree that the phenomenon of voter fraud is little more than a myth. The real problem, the Brennan Centre said is that a large number of citizens do not have the documents the SAVE Act would require.

'Millions of Americans would be prevented from registering to vote if they were required to prove their citizenship,' wrote in a research paper they published.

The Republican campaigns for tighter voting rules come on the eve of the midterm elections. President Donald Trump has made hints of wanting to nationalise US elections, which is in conflict with the design of the Constitution for state-run elections. Vance's comments seem to fall in line with that bigger effort, but they can also alienate voters who view the move as an unnecessary hurdle.