Jeffries Says Federal SAVE Act Would 'Nationalize' Voter ID; Democrats Call It Voter Suppression

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) defended Democratic opposition to the federal Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act on CNN, arguing the bill would nationalize state election rules and, in effect, suppress votes. The SAVE Act would require voters to present photo identification for federal ballots — a policy many states already enforce at the state level — but Democrats say a one-size-fits-all federal standard risks disenfranchising some voters.

United States House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., avoided answering why the Democratic Party is opposing photo ID enforcement.

On State of the Union, host Dana Bash pressed Jeffries about why Democrats label the proposal "voter suppression" despite Democratic wins in states that require voter ID. Bash noted Virginia as an example where voters must show identification yet Democrats prevailed in recent contests, asking whether a modest ID requirement might be acceptable.

Congressional Democrats have opposed Republican legislation mandating photo ID to vote in elections.

Jeffries: "The question is that what Republicans are trying to do is to engage in clear and blatant voter suppression. They know that if there‘s a free and fair election in November, they‘re going to lose."

Jeffries said states should retain authority to set their own election rules and accused Republicans of trying to "nationalize the election" as part of a broader effort to tilt outcomes. He also cited what he described as Republican efforts at gerrymandering and attempts to federalize the National Guard as examples of attempts to influence upcoming midterms.

Jeffries: "This is going to be a free and fair election. It's going to be conducted like every other election, where states and localities have the ability to administer the laws."

Other Democrats joined the criticism after House Republicans reintroduced the SAVE Act. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) sharply attacked the bill, calling it akin to "Jim Crow-type" laws and predicting it would be "dead on arrival" in the Senate.

Schumer: "The SAVE Act would impose Jim Crow-type laws to the entire country and is dead on arrival in the Senate. It is a poison pill… Republicans want to restore Jim Crow and apply it from one end of this country to the other. It will not happen."

Supporters of voter ID argue photo identification prevents fraud and enjoys bipartisan backing in many states; opponents counter that strict federal ID requirements could create barriers for eligible voters, particularly among older, low-income, and minority communities. Fox News Digital reached out to Jeffries' office for further comment.