Sen. Adam Schiff told ABC's Jonathan Karl that the Republican-backed SAVE Act and other ID requirements risk disenfranchising voters who lack passports, birth certificates, or Real ID-compliant identification. Karl cited a Pew poll showing 83% of adults—and 71% of Democrats—support photo ID, while an August 2025 Pew survey found 95% of Republicans favor showing ID. Schiff and Sen. Chuck Schumer argued the bill amounts to voter suppression and said it would not gain Democratic votes in the Senate.
Adam Schiff Rejects Photo-ID Proposal, Says SAVE Act Would Disenfranchise Voters Despite Broad Poll Support
Sen. Adam Schiff on "The Late Show" on July 17, 2025. ABC host Jonathan Karl on "Good Morning America" on April 3, 2023.(Getty Images)
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) pushed back on proposals to require photo identification to vote, arguing that the Republican-backed Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act and similar measures would disenfranchise citizens who lack key documents such as passports, birth certificates, or Real ID-compliant identification.
Schiff’s Response to Polling
ABC's Jonathan Karl asked whether there was room for bipartisan compromise on a photo-ID requirement, citing a recent Pew poll showing broad public support. Schiff said the question missed his larger point: he accused Republicans of manufacturing distrust with unfounded fraud claims and then trying to capitalize on that distrust to pass what he described as voter-suppression measures.
"Republicans have created distrust in the elections by making claims of nonexistent fraud... and shouldn't we use the distrust they've created in order to enact a voter suppression law, which is the SAVE Act, which would require people to have a birth certificate or passport — documents that millions of Americans don't have," Schiff said.
Polling Cited
Karl pressed on the narrower question of photo ID specifically, noting one recent Pew survey that found 83% of adults support requiring photo identification to vote and that 71% of Democrats also favor such a requirement. The article also cites a Pew Research survey conducted in August 2025 showing 95% of Republicans support showing identification when voting.
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-CA, speaks to reporters outside the U.S. Capitol, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025.
Why Schiff Opposes Photo ID Requirements
Schiff said even a narrower photo-ID rule could disenfranchise voters who lack the proper Real ID, state driver's license, or other acceptable forms of identification. "It's still going to be something that disenfranchises people that don't have the proper Real ID, driver's license ID, that don't have the ID necessary to vote, even though they are citizens," he told Karl, calling the change another way to suppress turnout.
Sen. Schumer's Criticism
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has publicly condemned the SAVE Act, calling it "Jim Crow 2.0." Schumer argued the bill could disproportionately harm certain voters — for example, people who changed their names after marriage and can't easily match documents, or those who cannot locate a birth certificate — and vowed it would not receive Democratic support in the Senate.
Bottom Line
The exchange highlights a sharp divide: many polls show broad public support for photo ID at the ballot box, while Democrats like Schiff and Schumer argue stricter ID requirements and related changes to absentee voting or registration processes would disproportionately block participation by marginalized groups. Legislatively, Democrats say the SAVE Act will face united opposition in the Senate.
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