Verify Everything, Whoever Wins: Why I Support the SAVE American Act
After the 2016 election, Americans spent years arguing about whether the result could be trusted. The dossier at the center of it was paid for by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee, and the FBI used it in part to get a surveillance warrant on a Trump campaign adviser. The Justice Department’s own inspector general later found 17 significant inaccuracies and omissions in those applications. Russia did interfere in 2016, as a bipartisan Senate investigation concluded. But the process was flawed, and people on both sides lost trust.
There’s a lesson in that. When a result is disputed, the fight over who to blame goes on for years. Trust is much cheaper to build before the election, with rules everyone can see and everyone has to follow.
What the SAVE America Act does
The House passed the SAVE America Act 218-213 in February 2026. It does three things:
- Requires proof of citizenship, in person, to register to vote in a federal election.
- Requires photo ID to vote.
- Requires states to remove noncitizens from existing voter rolls.
That’s it. It’s a simple safeguard, and it applies to every voter and every party. If you win, it protects your win. If you lose, it protects your confidence in the result.
Minnesota’s gaps
Many Minnesotans don’t know how our system works, and they’re surprised when they find out.
- If your registration is current, you don’t need to show any ID at the polls. Not a driver’s license, not anything.
- Minnesota also allows same-day registration. State law lets one registered voter sign up to eight proof-of-residence oaths on Election Day, and the Secretary of State’s office calls this vouching.
I’m not claiming this means elections here are stolen. I’m saying we ask for ID to board a plane, open a bank account, or buy a firearm, and a free and fair election deserves the same standard.
Minnesota’s gaps
Many Minnesotans don’t know how our system works, and they’re surprised when they find out.
- If your registration is current, you don’t need to show any ID at the polls. Not a driver’s license, not anything.
- Minnesota also allows same-day registration. State law lets one registered voter sign up to eight proof-of-residence oaths on Election Day, and the Secretary of State’s office calls this vouching.
I’m not claiming this means elections here are stolen. I’m saying we ask for ID to board a plane, open a bank account, or buy a firearm, and a free and fair election deserves the same standard.
Where Kelly Morrison stands
Minnesota’s delegation split straight down party lines on the bill. Every Republican voted yes. Every Democrat, including Kelly Morrison, voted no.
Her side says the bill could make registration harder for some eligible voters, like married women whose names don’t match their birth certificates, or people without a passport. Those are real concerns, and they can be answered with free IDs and clear processes for name changes. They don’t justify voting no on the whole bill. Voting no means keeping the current rules, with all their gaps, over any change at all.
I’d like to hear her answer this question: what exactly was wrong with requiring proof of citizenship and a photo ID, and what would she support instead?
Why this matters in CD3
Our district was held by Republicans for decades and has been blue for only the last eight years. This will be a close race, and in a close race, confidence in the process matters most. Whoever wins in November, everyone should be able to trust the count.
I ran businesses for two decades, and I learned that you verify, you document, and you own your mistakes. That’s how trust is built. I’m Ty Bass, and I’m running for Congress in Minnesota’s 3rd District because I believe we can do better.
Sources
- NBC News, FBI releases documents showing payments to Trump dossier author Steele
- U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, Review of Four FISA Applications and Other Aspects of the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane Investigation (December 2019)
- CBS News, DOJ Russiagate grand jury investigation (for the bipartisan Senate findings)
- NBC News, House passes SAVE America Act
- GovTrack, House vote on the SAVE America Act
- Minnesota Secretary of State, Do I need to bring ID?
- Minnesota Secretary of State, Register on Election Day
- Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, Section 201.061
