South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, the Republican nominee for governor, praised President Donald Trump on Thursday for pressing Congress to advance the SAVE America Act, telling Newsmax the president is using "every lever" available to strengthen election security.
Wilson told "American Agenda" he has supported similar legislation for years, noting he defended South Carolina's voter ID law more than a decade ago.
"I've always supported the SAVE Act," Wilson said. "I joined a coalition of 22 state attorneys general nearly two years ago supporting this measure."
Wilson argued that protecting federal elections "should be something every American and every policymaker in Congress should want to be for."
"It baffles me that they don't seem to have the level of concern about securing elections," he said. "I think they really do want non-Americans voting in American elections."
Asked about Trump's efforts to keep the issue at the forefront, Wilson said he supports the president's strategy.
"I applaud the president and those in Congress who are using every measure, every resource available to them," he said. "The president is using every lever that he has available to him, every resource available to him to try to get this thing passed."
Wilson said election security should transcend politics.
"At the end of the day, securing elections should be a national security and a national priority issue," he said.
The SAVE America Act would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo ID at the polls. It also would tighten restrictions on mail-in ballots.
Supporters say the measure would help prevent noncitizens from registering, while opponents argue existing law already prohibits noncitizens from voting and that requiring documentary proof of citizenship could make registration harder for eligible voters who lack qualifying documents or whose legal names have changed.
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