Scott Jennings grills CNN panelists on SAVE Act: 'What voting rights are being taken away?'

WASHINGTON, DC: Conservative commentator Scott Jennings challenged fellow CNN panelists who accused President Donald Trump and Republicans of pushing the SAVE Act to suppress minority voting rights.

The segment on CNN's NewsNight grew heated as Democratic strategist Alencia Johnson accused Trump of backing legislation that targets minority voters. Jennings demanded concrete examples rather than broad assertions.

Scott Jennings challenges SAVE Act suppression claims

During the segment, Johnson declared, “[Trump] is championing a bill that would take voting rights away from a lot of black people in this country.” Jennings immediately asked, “Wait, what voting rights is he taking away from black voters?”

Johnson responded, “Oh, if we look at the SAVE Act… That is actually going to continue to disenfranchise overwhelmingly a lot of people of color.”

Jennings then asked, “How?” Johnson continued, “There are so many civil rights organizations that have run the data. If we look at the way that it is going to disenfranchise black voters.” Jennings reiterated, “How?” Johnson replied, “It’s the same reason why Chuck Schumer called it Jim Crow 2.0.” But Jennings shot back, “You haven’t said how yet!”

When Johnson failed to provide concrete examples, Jennings turned to polling data.

He noted that “76% of black voters think we should show an ID to vote, 80% of Hispanic voters, 83% of the American people." He asked, "Are you saying that black voters are too dumb to know what’s good for them? It sounds pretty condescending to me!”

SAVE Act debate over voter ID requirements

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act requires documentary proof of US citizenship, such as a passport, birth certificate, or REAL ID indicating citizenship, when registering to vote in federal elections.

Backed by President Trump, Republicans argue that the bill is straightforward election security and that only American citizens should decide American elections. While non-citizen voting remains rare, the legislation aims to close loopholes in the National Voter Registration Act that currently rely largely on self-attestation under penalty of perjury.

Critics, including groups like the Brennan Center, maintain the SAVE Act could burden millions by demanding documents like passports (which only about half of Americans possess) or updated birth certificates. CNN panelists claimed that it disproportionately affects people of color, young voters, the elderly, lower-income groups, and women who have changed their names after marriage.

On the other hand, defenders note that these same documents are required for federal benefits, jobs under I-9 rules, driver’s licenses, or flying domestically. States offer processes for obtaining or replacing records, often at low or no cost for voting purposes. Non-citizen voting, albeit rare, has occurred in isolated cases. Proponents argue the bill simply enforces citizen-only participation in federal elections. 

Jennings elaborated on his Salem Radio show, “Republicans in Congress are pushing legislation called the SAVE America Act…it safeguards American voting eligibility by requiring voter ID and proof of citizenship to register in federal elections. That's it. There's no tricks here, no suppression. Just verification. And for supporting this common-sense idea, Democrats are completely melting down.” “None of them will answer the simplest question imaginable: should only US citizens vote in US elections? Because once you say yes, their argument collapses," he added.