Verdict with Ted Cruz: The Save America Act — FINALLY on the Floor of the Senate

Save America Act Reaches the Senate Floor: Inside the High‑Stakes Fight for Election Integrity The latest episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz, hosted by Senator Ted Cruz and Ben Ferguson, marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing national debate over election integrity. After months of procedural battles, the Save America Act has officially reached the floor of the United States Senate—a development that Senator Cruz describes as both long overdue and absolutely essential to the preservation of American democracy. This episode offers an in‑depth breakdown of what the Save America Act does, why Democrats are uniformly opposing it, and what comes next as Republicans attempt to navigate Senate rules, internal divisions, and the ever‑present threat of a failed vote. At its core, the discussion centers on a fundamental question: Does voting matter enough to protect it? What the Save America Act Does—and Why It Matters As Senator Cruz explains, the Save America Act is simple, narrow, and commonsense legislation. It contains two core requirements for federal elections: Proof of United States citizenship when registering to votePhoto identification in order to cast a ballot That is the entirety of the bill. There are no complex carve‑outs, no sweeping federal overhauls, and no hidden provisions. According to Senator Cruz, the legislation is designed to ensure that only American citizens vote in American elections, thereby safeguarding both the mechanical integrity of elections and public confidence in their outcomes. The Senator emphasizes that legitimacy in a democracy rests on two pillars: a system that produces accurate results and a public that trusts those results. If either pillar collapses, the entire democratic structure is weakened. The Save America Act, he argues, reinforces both. The Senate Vote That Brought the Bill Forward The episode opens with the announcement that the Save America Act has cleared a crucial procedural hurdle. The Senate voted 51–47 to bring the bill to the floor for debate. Every Republican senator supported moving the bill forward except for one, with one additional Republican not voting. No Democrats supported the motion. This vote does not mean passage is guaranteed. Under Senate rules, final passage will require 60 votes, unless Republicans can force a so‑called talking filibuster—a strategy Senator Cruz strongly advocates and explains in detail later in the episode. A Constitutional and Historical Defense of the Right to Vote A major portion of the episode features Senator Cruz’s extended remarks delivered directly on the Senate floor. In these remarks, he situates the Save America Act within the broader arc of American history. He reminds listeners that the right to vote was secured through enormous sacrifice—from the American Revolution to the Civil War to constitutional amendments expanding suffrage. At every stage, the goal was the same: to ensure that voting was reserved for American citizens and exercised with integrity. Senator Cruz walks through the Fifteenth, Nineteenth, and Twenty‑Sixth Amendments, emphasizing that expansion of the franchise has always gone hand‑in‑hand with safeguards designed to protect its legitimacy. Debunking the “Voter ID Is Jim Crow” Argument One of the most forceful segments of the episode addresses Democratic claims that voter ID requirements are discriminatory. Senator Cruz calls these claims historically inaccurate, legally unsound, and deeply insulting. He points to a U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding voter ID laws, noting that the majority opinion was written by Justice John Paul Stevens, one of the Court’s most prominent liberals. The Court rejected the argument that voter ID suppresses minority turnout and found instead that minority participation often increases when voter ID laws are implemented. Senator Cruz also cites overwhelming public support for voter ID: 81% of Americans support photo ID requirementsApproximately 75% of African Americans support voter IDMore than 80% of Hispanics support voter ID70% of rank‑and‑file Democrats support voter ID The only group that overwhelmingly opposes it, he notes, is elected Democrats in Congress. The Common‑Sense Case for Identification Throughout the episode, Senator Cruz underscores what he sees as a glaring inconsistency in Democratic arguments. Americans are required to show photo ID to perform countless everyday activities, including: Buying alcohol or tobaccoBoarding an airplaneDriving or renting a carOpening a bank accountApplying for government benefitsChecking into a hotel Yet, Democrats argue that requiring ID to vote is somehow unreasonable. Senator Cruz calls this position illogical and indefensible, particularly given the importance of voting compared to routine daily transactions. Illegal Immigration and Election Integrity Another central theme of the episode is the connection between election integrity and illegal immigration. Senator ...