Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, panned conservatives' and President Donald Trump's desire to pass voter ID laws and likened the push to one made by congressional Democrats years ago. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
She noted that when congressional Democrats "attempted to advance sweeping election reform legislation in 2021, Republicans were unanimous in opposition because it would have federalized elections, something we have long opposed."
"Now, I’m seeing proposals such as the SAVE Act and MEGA that would effectively do just that. Once again, I do not support these efforts," Murkowski said.
Congressional Democrats under former President Joe Biden tried and failed to enact two election reform bills, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the For the People Act.
HOUSE REPUBLICANS PUSH ELECTION OVERHAUL WITH VOTER ID, MAIL-IN BALLOT CHANGES AHEAD OF MIDTERMS
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 30, 2026. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
"Election Day is fast approaching," she continued. "Imposing new federal requirements now, when states are deep into their preparations, would negatively impact election integrity by forcing election officials to scramble to adhere to new policies, likely without the necessary resources. Ensuring public trust in our elections is at the core of our democracy, but federal overreach is not how we achieve this."
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Her pushback comes as Trump has called on the GOP to nationalize elections. House Republicans are gearing up to vote on the SAVE America Act and a cohort of Senate Republicans are eying ways to get the bill onto the Senate floor.
Several Senate Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., have come out against Trump's call to nationalize elections. But public opposition to the voter ID efforts among Republicans is few and far between.
But given the political reality of the Senate, where the 60-vote filibuster threshold is an impossible bar to overcome without Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats' support, the bill will likely die.
Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/murkowski-breaks-gop-voter-id-says-push-is-not-how-we-build-trust