Karl began the exchange by asking Warner whether his party should support national photo identification requirements for voter registration and voting<\/a>, citing broad bipartisan public support for the policy.<\/p>\n “Now, I understand that you and I think every other Democrat opposed this so-called SAVE America Act. And there’s a lot of reasons that you’ve put forward. But let me ask you very narrowly on the issue of photo ID, requiring photo ID to register to vote, to vote. Is this something that Democrats should get behind?” Karl asked on “This Week.”<\/p>\n ABC\u2019s Jon Karl challenged Sen. Mark Warner after he claimed Virginia has voter and photo ID requirements. (Tom Williams\/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)<\/p>\n SENATE FACES ‘COME-TO-JESUS’ MOMENT ON TRUMP’S ELECTION PRIORITY UNDER GOP’S NEW PLAN<\/a><\/p>\n Karl then cited statistics on support for the SAVE America Act and Warner pointed to the rules in his home state and began describing his own experience before the ABC News host interrupted him.<\/p>\n “You know what? In Virginia, we have voter ID and photo ID,” Warner said.\u00a0<\/p>\n “That’s actually not the case,” Karl said. “I mean, I’m a Virginia voter. You don’t need to show a photo ID in Virginia. There are wide range of things you can show for ID, and if you don’t show one of those, you can sign an affidavit saying, attesting-”\u00a0<\/p>\n “You can sign an affidavit,” Warner said.<\/p>\n Karl said an affidavit was not required.<\/p>\n “Those become ballots that, if you want to contest later, can be contested. But\u2026 we have voter ID of one form or another,” Warner said.<\/p>\n Warner argued Virginia has “voter ID of one form or another” despite the state allowing non-photo documents. (Al Drago\/Bloomberg via Getty Images)<\/p>\n TONY DOKOUPIL CLASHES WITH MARK WARNER AFTER THE SENATOR RIPPED CBS FOR AIRING TRUMP SPEECH \u2018AS NEWS\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Under Virginia law<\/a>, election officers must ask in-person voters for identification, but acceptable forms include voter confirmation documents, utility bills, bank statements, government checks and paychecks, which do not need to include a photograph. A voter without acceptable identification can sign an ID Confirmation Statement under felony penalties and cast a regular ballot. Voters who provide neither must cast a provisional ballot.<\/p>\n Virginia’s voter registration application<\/a> required applicants to affirm their citizenship and provide a Social Security number if they have one but does not require photo identification.<\/p>\n When Karl asked whether identification should become a national standard, Warner said he could support government-issued identification if the approved documents were applied uniformly, but argued that the broader legislation would restrict voting.<\/p>\n The SAVE America Act would require proof of citizenship to register and photo identification to vote in federal elections. (Tom Williams\/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)<\/p>\n WATCH: ELISSA SLOTKIN SAYS SAVE AMERICA ACT WOULD MAKE IT ‘HARD FOR ANY DEMOCRAT’ TO WIN AN ELECTION<\/a><\/p>\n “If you can show any photo that is government stamped, would be fine,” Warner said. “If you\u2019re going to have a set of IDs, let\u2019s have it across the board as long as it comes from some official point, but this is not about voter ID. The Save Act is about voter disenfranchisement.”<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/a><\/p>\n A 2025 Pew Research Center survey<\/a> found that 83% of Americans favored requiring government-issued photo identification to vote, including 71% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents and 95% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents.<\/p>\n The SAVE America Act would require documentary proof of citizenship to register for federal elections, eligible photo identification before voting and states to remove noncitizens from voter<\/a> rolls. The House initially passed it 218-213 in February, with Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, joining Republicans.<\/p>\n CJ Womack is an associate editor at Fox News.<\/p>\n CJ joined Fox News Digital’s team in 2026, which highlights the vital role journalism plays in shaping politics and culture. He has years of experience analyzing and reporting on the news media.<\/p>\n CJ graduated from Long Beach State University in 2025 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Journalism.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"senator-mark-warner-february-24-2026\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/senator-mark-warner-february-24-2026.jpg\")
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