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Welcome to The Logoff: President Donald Trump gave a really lengthy State of the Union speech final night time, clocking in at a file one hour and 48 minutes.
You may match lots into practically two hours — however, my colleague Zack Beauchamp argues, you solely actually wanted to listen to one line: Trump’s assault on Democrats opposing the SAVE Act.
What’s the SAVE Act? If handed, the SAVE Act — brief for “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act” — would make vital modifications to US elections by tightening voter ID necessities, requiring proof of citizenship to register, and ending voter registration solely by mail.
What did Trump say on Tuesday? He accused Democrats, who overwhelmingly oppose the SAVE Act, of “need[ing] to cheat” in elections.
“[The Democrats’] coverage is so dangerous that the one means they’ll get elected is to cheat,” he mentioned. “We’re going to cease it. Now we have to cease it.”
What’s the massive image? Voter fraud, opposite to what Trump and the GOP declare, just isn’t rampant within the US. In reality, there’s no proof it’s a significant problem in any respect. However the sort of extra voter ID necessities the SAVE Act proposes would create new administrative boundaries to voting that might successfully disenfranchise many People.
Why does this matter? The SAVE Act itself just isn’t a five-alarm fireplace: Not solely does it have a troublesome, unlikely path to passage within the Senate, however, as Zack factors out, it doesn’t truly look like it will accomplish what Trump claims. (Certainly, it’s not clear that stricter voter ID necessities would profit Republicans in any respect.)
As an alternative, Zack argues, the priority is in what Trump thinks he’d be engaging in: “Taken actually,” he writes, Trump’s speech “is the president saying that the acknowledged coverage of his administration is stopping the opposition from successful any future election.”
You may learn Zack’s full story on the Vox web site right here.
And with that, it’s time to sign off…
It’s an enormous week on Capitol Hill: After the SOTU final night time, at present is the annual Bipawtisan Canine Parade (considerably delayed from its regular October date by final yr’s prolonged authorities shutdown, and themed for Mardi Gras as an alternative). I particularly loved this photograph from NOTUS reporter Em Luetkemeyer. Have a fantastic night, and we’ll see you again right here tomorrow!
