Trump’s SAVE Act Explained: Election Integrity or Voter Suppression
Trump’s SAVE Act is being sold as a straightforward push for election integrity. Which, of course, sounds reasonable. Who is going to publicly argue against secure elections? That is part of what makes bills like this so politically effective. The language is clean. The branding is strong. The underlying implications are where things get messy.
My instinct, as Nicole, is that this is not just about protecting the vote. It feels like a pre-midterm power move wrapped in the language of fairness. A way to raise suspicion, tighten rules, and create a whole new layer of friction around voting, all while claiming the moral high ground. And once you start adding in the broader culture war packaging that tends to travel alongside these bills, it becomes harder to believe this is only about ballots and not about shaping who gets to participate, and how easily.
Jolene sees the appeal of a more standardized system. Honestly, so do I, at least in theory. There is something attractive about the idea that voting should be clear, consistent, and secure no matter where you live. And yes, voter ID sounds simple when you say it quickly. That is why these conversations matter. Because the closer you get to the details, the less simple it becomes.
And then there is the practical side, which is where these policies either prove their worth or reveal their blind spots. What happens to people in rural areas? What happens to people who do not have easy access to updated documents, transport, internet, or government offices? What happens to women whose names do not match old paperwork? What happens to communities that already face barriers and now get handed one more administrative hurdle with a patriotic label slapped on top?
That is the part that keeps bothering me. Not because I think election security is fake, but because access is part of integrity too. A system is not truly secure if it quietly pushes legitimate voters out of the process. And historically, when new “common sense” voting rules are introduced without real outreach, support, and time, the burden does not fall evenly. It falls hardest on the people who already have the least margin for error.
Jolene and I kept circling back to the same question. If the goal really is a better system, why does it so often arrive in the most politically combustible way possible? Why not build trust slowly? Why not roll out reforms over time, after the midterms, with actual support structures in place? Why not make it easier for people to comply instead of easier to fail?
Because that is the thing. Reform is not the enemy. But rushed reform, partisan reform, and reform that treats suspicion as a strategy instead of a problem, that is where people start to lose faith. If you want a unified voter standard, then build it like you actually want the country to buy in, not like you want your side to win the argument before anyone has read the fine print.
This conversation is not really about whether elections should be secure. Of course they should. It is about whether we are serious enough to protect both security and access at the same time. That is harder work. Less catchy. Less useful for campaign messaging. But it is the only version that actually strengthens democracy.
So we want to hear from you. Do you think the SAVE Act strengthens trust in elections, or weakens it? What would meaningful voter reform actually look like to you? And how do we protect both security and access without turning every election conversation into a loyalty test?
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
https://campaignlegal.org/update/what-you-need-know-about-save-act
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[00:00:00] nicole: She's a conservative and I'm liberal, and yet we've been friends for almost 40 years. Everyone says you shouldn't discuss politics, religion, or money, and we say, that's exactly what friends should be talking about. Join us as we tackle the conversations you're having in your head, but are too scared to say out loud. to, we've got to talk. Hello, Jolene.
[00:00:24] Jolene: Hello, Nicole. Today we are talking about the Save act, the Safeguard American voter eligibility. act that Trump is trying to get passed and has put his foot down and said, you pass this or nothing else happens. And so, um, thank you for joining us today, and we are going to discuss both the right and the left, our perspectives, and we'll see where this takes us.
[00:00:52] nicole: I'll give you my hot takes.
[00:00:54] Jolene: Nicole, the liberal.
[00:00:56] nicole: All right. one, [00:01:00] this is Trump's big play to undermine voting integrity for the midterms. knows he's going to lose. he said point blank in this meeting with the GOP leadership, that passing this bill is his number one priority. He said, quote, passing this act equals saving the midterms, unquote. Number two, he, this act includes his favorite hot button topics, immigration. Voting rights. He, uh, claimed in 2016 that 3 million votes were illegal. And according to the Brennan, uh, center of Justice, only possibly 30 votes out of 23.5 million were illegal. And they talked about how rare and illegal it actually is.
[00:01:54] And it's so easy because when you register, there's a paper trail that it's incredibly [00:02:00] easy to get caught and that you face deportation, fines, and possible five years in jail. Number three, this act, and this is gonna be more convoluted, feel like the Democrats keep highlighting that it's going to affect, Women and people of color. And I think it's, it's not a correct angle because really if you dive deep into this act, what it's includes, it's affecting all of our rights. And I think that honestly, this is something, it may be you and I might actually agree on, that it not, doesn't necessarily need to be in a left and a right issue. basically if this act passes, uh, states would be required to, turn in their vo voting roles to DHS. And there would, it would be a federalized, information highway, for lack of a better term, which, when we talk about state's [00:03:00] rights, which seems to usually be much more of a rights concern, this is surprising to me that. of the right is on board with this because this is gonna affect all of us. And I think that's a selling point that I wish Democrats, liberals that you would focus on that and stop focusing on and people of color because they're annoyed with you. annoyed with you. Let's actually talk about what really needs to be talked about, and I will, I, part of my number three is that we're not looking at all of the acts because he, Trump is slipping in stuff into that bill that has nothing to do with voting rights, transgender and sports.
[00:03:43] What does that have to do with voter rights? And that's in this bill.
[00:03:46] Jolene: Okay. All right. number one, the US right now has no single national voting system. every state can do their own thing. and currently all you need to do to register to vote. Typically it's [00:04:00] done at the DMV, the Department of Motorized vehicles. When you get your driver's license, all you have to do is check a box saying, I assert that all of this information is correct and that I am a US citizen. however, some states allow same day voting, like the same day as the election. Like you can register to vote as you are going into a, voting poll, 10 states allow that. Some states, um, it's automatic that you go to the DMV, you have to actually opt out to register to vote, um, because it's automatic at the DMV, that's 20 states.
[00:04:35] And then there are some states that allow you to vote by mail, with, the least amount of, um, regulations to be able to mail in your ballot. There's three states, Oregon, Washington, Colorado. So to say that there's, it's, it's the wild, wild west as far as that goes.
[00:04:52] So, to your point, I do wanna talk about this, about states rights versus having a, a federalized, um, election system. I do [00:05:00] think that I, I think the, the reason that that was implemented in the first place, you know, back 250 years ago was because they didn't have a national database at the time to, you know, so it was really, I mean, you knew everybody that was voting 'cause you voted locally and you, that was how it was done.
[00:05:16] So. We can talk about that. Okay. Number two, this would increase the confidence in election integrity. And, and I think that's the, the big thing, right? You kind of alluded to this, that Trump's going to claim that there's a voter fraud if the Republicans lose in the midterms. and I would say, the whole idea that some states, require you to show an ID when you show up to vote and others don't, I think it would allow us to feel like the votes, were counted and they mattered and they were valid.
[00:05:46] Um, number three, and this kind of goes with your third point as well. 91% of Americans 18 and older have a driver's license. So, you know, to, to say that, oh my gosh, it's gonna be so hard for the poor and the [00:06:00] rural, rural people and, you know, blacks and women and, and all that. You're right. It's such a, um, it's such a bad, it's such a bad argument because if 91% of of Americans over the age of 18 have a driver's license, you can register to vote and you should have that information.
[00:06:20] nicole: just so you know where it is, where it is a little tricky is if this went through, it says that you would need to prove citizenship with either a valid US passport or a birth certificate with a valid photo id.
[00:06:38] Jolene: Which you have to show a birth certificate or a social security card when you get your driver's license. So it's the, as you're getting your driver's license, it's the same information that you're already providing And so I, I think that is, that is an argument that, um, I just, it just doesn't hold water and I think it's an insult.
[00:06:56] You and I kind of talked before we got started, it's an insult to a lot of [00:07:00] Americans saying that we're just, we're looking out for you because we just don't think that you're capable of doing this. No, you are. And we have to show an ID to get on a plane. We have to show an ID to, buy beer. We have to show an id.
[00:07:13] I mean, so,
[00:07:14] nicole: Let's start with what we could possibly agree on. How about that? Um, okay. I've been thinking about this because, you know how they now have the real ID I think it's, it was supposed to happen in 2020, actually. and. There was a pandemic they were like, you know what, we're gonna give you all extra time.
[00:07:38] Jolene: Yeah.
[00:07:38] nicole: gonna take some time
[00:07:40] Jolene: Yep.
[00:07:41] nicole: everybody can get on board. And I think it took about five years to be
[00:07:45] Jolene: Yeah.
[00:07:45] nicole: we're not playing. You
[00:07:47] Jolene: We're serious this time.
[00:07:48] nicole: now. You've had five years. Here's the real id or you can't get on the plane or whatever. Right.
[00:07:55] Jolene: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:07:56] nicole: I'm just gonna put it out there to you.
[00:07:58] Jolene, [00:08:00] liberal Democrat. I would be down with this idea if it was rolled out slowly. Where I have a problem that it seems, I feel insulted that Trump is doing this because it's like, dude, you, like everyone is thinking and, and you know what? The Democrats could completely Is it eat crow? Is that the phrase I want?
[00:08:30] Jolene: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:08:32] nicole: that we're so cocky that we think we're gonna win the midterms big time. Right. everyone's saying that, that Trump is gonna lose the midterms and
[00:08:43] Jolene: Well, not Trump. I mean, Trump's not running in the midterms, but Yeah.
[00:08:47] nicole: That the
[00:08:48] Jolene: Yeah.
[00:08:48] nicole: are gonna lose. And that this where I feel insulted. I'm like, if you don't think we don't understand that you want to do this right now because you wanna make sure, [00:09:00] you want to actually put in our American brains that the voting system is rigged. You did it already. I find crazy Jolene, and tell me if this feels similar. Like he's, he's played this already. He's played this game already and this is the thing that I'm a little confused by and, and work with me a second. He claims that the 2020 election was stolen and then it wasn't stolen, and then it was stolen. But all the Republicans that won in 2020, their votes weren't stolen. Just the ones that his votes were not stolen. And then in 2022, the Republicans pretty well that wasn't stolen. And then in 2024 when he went again, then that wasn't stolen.
[00:09:48] Jolene: All right. Number one, let's just get this out here.
[00:09:51] nicole: Okay.
[00:09:52] Jolene: should there be, a federalized, a national, voting standard?
[00:09:59] nicole: I [00:10:00] think that's, I think we're getting into dangerous territory with that, because when you have someone like Trump in power, this is my opinion, I think he wants to win at all costs. here's what I do think, I am sort of surprised that we don't show an id.
[00:10:17] Jolene: Yeah. Okay. So we agree with that.
[00:10:20] nicole: can agree that,
[00:10:21] Jolene: Okay, good.
[00:10:22] nicole: that when we're looking at this, I'm like, well, isn't it kind of funny that we don't?
[00:10:26] Jolene: Right. Okay. Okay. Good.
[00:10:27] nicole: so I can say that, I can look at that and go, huh, that's a little odd.
[00:10:33] Jolene: Yeah. Okay.
[00:10:34] nicole: And, we can look at the, and there's very little fraud. But if there is, maybe Id would help remedy that.
[00:10:44] Jolene: Mm-hmm.
[00:10:44] nicole: absolutely get on board with you about that. And I think in other countries they do that. And so it's sort of surprising that we haven't implemented that in our system.
[00:10:57] And I'd be totally on board with [00:11:00] you to get a system in that way that like,
[00:11:05] Jolene: But that's what I mean though, by a federally standard, a federalized standard system. So not, I mean, not that he's run, I take Trump out of this. I I don't mean that he's running a, a Yeah.
[00:11:19] nicole: I,
[00:11:20] Jolene: I'm,
[00:11:20] nicole: I
[00:11:20] Jolene: I'm not saying
[00:11:22] nicole: on board, absolutely. Get on board that we'd have to provide ID register. Um,
[00:11:27] Jolene: Okay, but I'm saying, don't you think that all states should have to go under the same rule like the United States, this is how you vote in national elections. Everybody, like for one state to say no, you don't have to show an ID and for one another state to say, yes you do. And for this state to say, we only do mail-in ballots, and this state says, no, we, we don't do any of those.
[00:11:46] Don't you think there should be some standards nationally to have some rules and regulations?
[00:11:51] nicole: I think, I don't mind the mail-in ballot if the whole idea is you, you need to register and show that [00:12:00] you're a citizen. I don't see what the problem is with it. Honestly. I really don't. I don't think if you asked many people that in concept and like, makes sense and that, let's say for instance, uh, Colorado you said does mail in well, that in order for them to get their ballot mailed to them, they would have to prove that they are a citizen with, and you know, whether it's passport or whatever, I don't think it should be done in three months. Should be done. I don't think it can be done.
[00:12:37] Jolene: for, for these midterms. I agree
[00:12:39] nicole: I think,
[00:12:40] Jolene: with you. Okay.
[00:12:41] nicole: I, so, so let me be clear. Jolene the word federalize. I think what I don't like, I mean, I don't like a lot about this bill and, and, and a main one is that states are supposed to send their voter registrations to the federal government.
[00:12:58] I think [00:13:00] that we go into really tricky waters at that point. Also because of if all the system is going into one let's say it's easier to have cyber attacks and that, I think that there is some, uh, sense of control when all the states do their own. monitoring, I could get on board if you and I were co-presidents and we, or like head of, Congress, uh, that we could say, you know what?
[00:13:29] Let's work on this together. why shouldn't we, um, prove that we are citizens of the United States?
[00:13:36] Jolene: Okay,
[00:13:36] nicole: I could say that it could make things a lot easier, as you put it. I don't know. I think it was hot. Take number two, about integrity of it. You'd have a harder time saying, well, they cheated when everybody knew.
[00:13:52] Jolene: here's some other statistics that, lend itself to think that there is fraud going on in our elections over the years. Um.
[00:13:59] nicole: [00:14:00] Mm.
[00:14:00] Jolene: However, the fact you had said this, that there has been very little fraud proven in the last several elections. I don't think that we have the capacity to verify that because there isn't a, a database to compare it against.
[00:14:20] And let me tell you why. there are 36 states that require some sort of ID on election day. So as you go to the polling place, you will show an id and, and maybe we need to back up here too, because what, what the Save Act is saying is that you have to show prior to election day, this is when you're registering to vote.
[00:14:40] So initially, when you are registering to vote in your state, that you have to come up with, um, a passport, a birth certificate, you know, your marriage license. If you've changed your name, you know, you have to come up with some, with these documents that then allow you to register to vote. That is [00:15:00] different than the day of voting showing up at your polling place.
[00:15:03] So it's not like the day that you show up to vote on election day that you are having to show all of this paperwork. Like at that point you hope that you have already gone through the process of having your registration. So you show up, you say, I'm Jolene, I'm here to vote. So 36 states requires some sort of ID on election day 24 require, um, an actual photo id, but 12 others.
[00:15:32] Of those 36 that require some type of identification, 24 ha it has to be a photo id. The other 12. You just have to show a utility bill or a bank statement so it, it doesn't have to go with the picture. So you can show up with, you know, somebody else's bank statement or somebody else's utility bill and go, I'm voting, I am Bill Schmill, and I'm here to vote.
[00:15:57] nicole: How
[00:15:58] Jolene: So there, so you could see where [00:16:00] that could, that could happen. Right. Okay. 14 states. 14 states don't require any voter id. They show up. You, you check in, you say, I'm Jolene. You sign your name, you get to go vote. Your vote is cast. Now there's also, um, provisional ballots. and this would also take place in the save act, that if you show up on, and this happens today, if you show up and your name's not on the voter rolls, you've not registered to vote.
[00:16:30] This is, this is true for today. And this would be true under the Save Act, that you can still vote, but it's considered a provisional ballot. And then once it's proven that you are who you say that you are, then your vote will be counted. But not until, and, and that's the same with, I mean, so that is true for today as it would be in this new bill.
[00:16:51] So no one would ever be turned away from voting. And I think that's the important thing too, to recognize. Because we [00:17:00] always talk about it, you know, every single vote counts and your vote matters. So that's, I think the other, the scare tactic that I, I keep hearing from, I think people on the other side who are saying, you know, you show up and it's, and your vote's not even gonna count if you don't have the right id.
[00:17:16] That's not true.
[00:17:17] Okay.
[00:17:18] nicole: Okay.
[00:17:19] Jolene: okay. Here's the other thing. This is, I think, the most important part we have somewhere arguably between 10 and 30 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. Do you know that 19 states allow undocumented immigrants to obtain a driver's license?
[00:17:37] nicole: Where did
[00:17:38] Jolene: They can get a driver's license. Thank you for asking. I got this from consumer affairs website,
[00:17:45] nicole: Okay.
[00:17:46] get a driver's license, but like I
[00:17:48] Jolene: Right,
[00:17:49] nicole: in, in my hot takes, if they commit, uh, crime, quite frankly a voting, they can be found [00:18:00] incredibly easy. There's a paper trail to their name. They will have, they have five years, um, of jail time, fines and deportation.
[00:18:10] Jolene: So when you say that there's been very little fraud proven, how many of those people do you think are verifying that paper trail?
[00:18:20] nicole: So. I can tell you is I did some Googling to figure out, I was like, how many people are committing these crimes? I didn't really understand. And this is, the Brennan Center of Justice did a, study.
[00:18:34] and they were talking about 20 16.
[00:18:37] I
[00:18:37] Jolene: I.
[00:18:38] nicole: to 2020. Can't speak to 2022. Can't speak to 2024. But they, in their records, it said non-citizen votes counted to 0.0001%. were found and they were cocked. And I feel like this again is [00:19:00] Trump's play. He loves riling up the right to be like, these people are taking your jobs, your votes, and
[00:19:13] Jolene: These people. Meaning? Meaning, illegal, undocumented.
[00:19:17] nicole: I mean, this is the same grif he keeps doing. And why are we still like, seriously you
[00:19:24] Jolene: Okay.
[00:19:25] nicole: you're spending so much time like throwing people out of the country and you're still now gonna play this again. These
[00:19:33] Jolene: immigrants are now taking the votes and I'm like,
[00:19:35] So
[00:19:36] nicole: a break.
[00:19:37] Jolene: do you feel like though, that there is an opportunity for fraud in the system today? If, if by me saying that 19 states allow undocumented immigrants to get a driver's license and then that database feeds into the state's system, but not on a federal [00:20:00] level, is there a possibility that they're able to vote when they show up on election day? mean, is there a possibility? Yeah.
[00:20:08] nicole: and, and they're even saying in the save act that if election workers register someone and don't have all of the proof that they can be thrown in jail for five years.
[00:20:22] Jolene: Okay. Well that, that seems a little extreme.
[00:20:24] nicole: this is, this is the thing, Jolene, this is where I, I wanna, not even pushback.
[00:20:29] I just wanna take this apart a second because
[00:20:30] Jolene: Yeah.
[00:20:31] nicole: Some of this save act, I could actually maybe say, sure, but let's do it. This is a longer process. We're not, you don't get to take our, like the state's voter rolls to for your benefit to the federal level. You can't throw in transgender sports. Like, sometimes I feel like he just makes it impossible for any sort of bipartisanship If you and I were [00:21:00] co-presidents, it's like. Well, let's look at this. This makes sense to me, but why are we throwing all this other stuff in? And then you're gonna punish election workers.
[00:21:10] Like it's so hard to get election workers. They work so hard for so little money and now someone makes a mistake and you're gonna throw them in jail for five years. I
[00:21:20] Jolene: so here's what's so funny about this, is I, I mean, I read this, I mean, as a Republican and they wanna, you know, when, when I hear That there's a push to, to make some standardized rules for elections. I think, well, that, God, that's a no-brainer. Like the, to have to show an ID to vote. That seems like a no-brainer.
[00:21:41] And so I, I have to say, I have honestly not thought at all that Trump wanted to get this done before the midterms. That that was a push. And, and I mean, until you said that, and I'm like, uh, that's why you guys are pushing back on [00:22:00] this, that I had never thought, I mean, had never thought about it that way.
[00:22:05] So isn't it interesting that I think if an idea comes about that, Hey, we should do this, and Republicans are like, God, yeah, I think why haven't we done that before now? And Democrats. Say No, absolutely not, because you have an ulterior motive. And that was never like part of the, of the initial conversa. It, it's almost like it gets convoluted into why is Trump wanting to do this?
[00:22:32] What's the, you know, what's, what's the ulterior motive? Yeah. And so I don't know if anything can ever be introduced without, again, I've said this, you know, there's, there's so little way, there's so little room for us to have bipartisan, you know, disagreements and, and get things done. Because as soon as Trump comes up with something, everybody goes, Nope.
[00:22:55] What's his ulterior motive? Okay, nope, we can't do that. I think this is such a great example [00:23:00] of that.
[00:23:00] So I, I wanna say I agree with you. No way could we push to get this done by midterms. but is it something that needs to be done? Yes. Here's the other thing that, um.
[00:23:10] That I heard somebody say too was that, um, there's no funding in the save act to if the big push or the, the big, um, roadblock to this bill is how do you get those people who again, live in rural America or are poor and don't have a ride to get to, you know, their. Um, their courthouse, even a, a county co courthouse in order to get, maybe they, they're old and they don't have a birth certificate.
[00:23:39] I mean, all of those things, there's no funding in the Save Act to be able to say, okay, well we need to have an outreach program then to get these people, we need to go out to these communities and we need to, you know, be able to come up with some type of system, whether it's, you know, in the middle of nowhere, Washington State, or where they have to [00:24:00] rely on mail-in ba balloting because it's just easier for them because they maybe live a hundred miles from their county precinct or you know, their polling place.
[00:24:10] Or if it's rural Mississippi and you know, they don't have means, whatever. That is something else that I would say, okay, let's make it, and, and in fact the quote was, if, if the requirement is hard to meet, then you don't remove the requirement. You make it easier to meet.
[00:24:27] nicole: I
[00:24:28] Jolene: that's so true.
[00:24:29] nicole: a thousand percent. Because I think why, where Democrats are making it a people of color and a woman issue is because more people of color and women are Democrats. So they're looking at it. you're trying to take good votes away from us. And that could be a ploy.
[00:24:46] It could be, I could totally get down with this Jolene, if it was done
[00:24:52] Jolene: Yeah.
[00:24:53] nicole: uh, and it was a long rollout, okay, how do we do this so that everyone will [00:25:00] feel that there vote counts? And the vote is honest.
[00:25:04] Jolene: Yeah.
[00:25:04] nicole: think a Democrat would say, nah. I would, they, they would be like, okay, let's, let's do it.
[00:25:12] I mean, listen, if he wanted to propose this after the midterms, he, and whether he
[00:25:20] Jolene: Then you'd be on board.
[00:25:21] nicole: he lost the midterms big time, let's just have a scenario. It was a
[00:25:25] Jolene: Okay.
[00:25:26] nicole: blue wave and he didn't call fraud, he went, okay, it is what it is. This is the system. Then he said, let's figure out a way to make this work. thing that I thought was funny, not funny, funny, but funny, ironic, funny that when last week in the, in the GOP um, meeting, when he was like, this is the number one priority and I will not sign anything and I'm thinking. You don't sign anything [00:26:00] anyway. Like you don't work with Congress, like you make your own rules and you like, how is this any different? And then I kept reading in those articles that you and I both were looking at If the Congress is in session when a bill has been proposed, if it hasn't signed, been signed by the president in 10 days, it will automatically go to law.
[00:26:22] Now
[00:26:22] Jolene: Mm-hmm.
[00:26:23] nicole: that there's a lot of loopholes that they can jump through, but I thought, I thought that that was interesting. I did not know that that was a
[00:26:30] Jolene: Yeah.
[00:26:31] nicole: and I guess I wanna say this Joe. I don't feel like this is Trump derangement syndrome. It really is like, seriously, it is March 12th and this midterms are November, whatever it is. Do you remember the like fourth or
[00:26:48] Jolene: Uh, fourth, uh, no third
[00:26:50] nicole: third? you wanna do this Now interesting. And so Democrats are like, hell no. There's a guy in Alabama [00:27:00] that is like, just throwing votes, people off of the roller. The, the, the,
[00:27:06] Jolene: rules,
[00:27:07] nicole: thank you.
[00:27:07] Jolene: voter rules.
[00:27:08] nicole: Voter rolls. Like there was this one, it was of course just one story, but this woman who an immigrant who worked really hard to be a citizen, she was so excited to vote and then he pulled her from the role she was livid to the point where she's like, well, she didn't say F this, but like, I don't wanna do it.
[00:27:32] And I'm thinking, lady, let that guy stop you. Like
[00:27:36] Jolene: Yeah.
[00:27:37] nicole: And I think that's the other thing that I think people, maybe Democrats, maybe Republicans, if they get quiet with themselves is that we, as a human race, it doesn't matter if you're left or right or whatever, we don't. We want things to be easy.
[00:27:55] Jolene: Yeah.
[00:27:56] nicole: people to vote anyway is really hard. There aren't, [00:28:00] I'm, I can't remember. Do you know off the top of your head the percentage of Americans that actually do vote? There's
[00:28:06] Jolene: In a national election. I mean, which is is.
[00:28:10] nicole: Right. Which actually is
[00:28:11] Jolene: And they state elections, local elections. Right. But in, I mean, it's, it's less than 10%, isn't it? I mean, it's like stupid. Yes. So don't you think that if you, if we did make this a big deal, like you have to, you know, go and get your voter registration and it's a big deal and all that, but maybe that would get more people to vote like, oh, okay.
[00:28:33] I, I'm, I'm assuming a lot of people don't know, number one, where to vote, how to vote, what they're voting on. I mean, I think that's probably why people don't vote, is they don't wanna look dumb. And
[00:28:45] If we made it a bigger deal, then maybe then they would take it seriously and go, okay, this is my, this is my right, this is something that I can make a difference in.
[00:28:56] nicole: I agree a thousand percent Jolene,
[00:28:58] Jolene: Oh my God, we agree on [00:29:00] so much.
[00:29:00] nicole: I feel like just we have just become so polarized So we can't all be Americans having our right to vote, you know, geeky mcgeers over here, when I turned 18, I couldn't wait to vote. Like
[00:29:14] Jolene: Right.
[00:29:15] nicole: oh
[00:29:15] Jolene: Yeah.
[00:29:16] nicole: this is so exciting. But a
[00:29:18] Jolene: Yeah.
[00:29:18] nicole: aren't taught that. or they feel discouraged, like I don't count or whatever it might be.
[00:29:23] Or they didn't have a
[00:29:24] Jolene: Yep.
[00:29:25] nicole: that voted like so, I guess what's so hard is that there just, we're just in a place where there's so much ulterior motive
[00:29:32] Jolene: had this been a bipartisan bill. That was put forward, forward. If it would've been Schumer and, Thune or,
[00:29:43] nicole: Right,
[00:29:44] Jolene: know, pick two people, you know, then everybody would go like, huh,
[00:29:48] nicole: but we've even talked about how people will not even highlight that. There's another bill that I haven't had a chance to look up. Do you know this bill? Josh Hawley and Elizabeth Warren. Uh, Senator Elizabeth [00:30:00] Warren and Josh Hawley are leading a bipartisan effort to crack down on corporate, specifically healthcare monopolies their primary initiative breakup, big Medicine Act aims to restructure the healthcare industry prohibiting vertical integration between insurers, pharmacy and benefit managers and providers to reduce the, the costs. those moments are super exciting
[00:30:25] Jolene: Why isn't that being the headlines? Why isn't that being
[00:30:29] nicole: Why
[00:30:30] Jolene: right?
[00:30:30] nicole: the headlines? Right?
[00:30:31] Jolene: Why don't we see 15 different influencers talking about it on Instagram and, but no, we see Chuck Schumer talking about Jim Crow 2.0 with the Save Act, and seriously is.
[00:30:45] nicole: it's so exhausting.
[00:30:47] Jolene: more thing? The other, because one of the other arguments is it'll be hard for women who are newly married and have a name change to get their name changed on this, for a voter registration and being the mother of two daughters who [00:31:00] have recently been married, this is the process that you have to go through to get a new driver's license, to get a new social security card to get, I mean, you get your, it, it's a matter of getting your.
[00:31:10] Marriage license, a certified marriage license, which you get when you get married, from the county that you are married in. and you have that with you and, and you show that with your passport and you get a new passport. You show that with your social security card. You get a new social security card.
[00:31:24] I mean, all these things with your name change, it's not like, you know, we're inventing some process that is going to be so incredibly hard. This is what women have to do all the time.
[00:31:34] nicole: when the girls are registered to vote or they registered under their, their birth name versus their new married name,
[00:31:41] Jolene: Well,
[00:31:43] nicole: so
[00:31:43] Jolene: so.
[00:31:43] nicole: they go to a poll and they're like, okay, I'm registered to vote, and they're like, your birth certificate does not match your this name,
[00:31:52] Jolene: so then you'll show your marriage certificate, just as you do when you get your license changed, as you get your credit cards changed, as you get your checking account [00:32:00] changed, as you get your utility bills changed. I mean, everything, when you change your name, it's just another thing, right?
[00:32:06] I mean, you have to go through all those things anyway,
[00:32:08] nicole: according to the Save Act requirements, either it's a valid US passport or your birth certificate with a valid photo id. Now, if your birth certificate, if you're married and you have a driver's license or something that has your married name and your birth certificate is not the same name, that's where they're talking about it being tricky.
[00:32:28] Jolene: but what I'm saying is you're not gonna get a driver's license in a new name without registering to vote at that time. You see what I mean? Like if you are getting a new driver's license with your new married name, you're also getting.
[00:32:40] nicole: they're talking about when you go to vote, you have to show.
[00:32:44] Jolene: No, that, I mean it. You have to register to vote, right? We're talking about registering to vote.
[00:32:50] nicole: saying in the save act that it would require voters to go into their polling site with their birth certificate
[00:32:58] Jolene: No, because what we're talking [00:33:00] about is your voter registration, not the day of voting. This whole act is about voter registration,
[00:33:06] nicole: that's not what I understand this to be, when you go into vote, that you have to bring your valid US passport or your birth certificate with a matching photo ID to vote.
[00:33:22] Jolene: No, that's not the case. This save act is for voter registration. allows you to get a voter registration card where you have to prove with a voter ID or your passport so that you then have a voter registration card. So on the day of the election, and you go into the polling place to vote, you are showing your voter registration card along with your id. So if your name has changed in that time period, you will get a new id. Right? You will submit your marriage certificate to go get your new ID as you change all of your other I [00:34:00] IDs when you get married.
[00:34:02] enacted. The law would require election officials to ver to verify citizenship using documents such as a US passport or a birth certificate or certification, certificate of naturalization or other official documentation providing, um, citizenship. So like I had read where it was like your tribal documentations, if you're Native American and all that people registering to vote would likely need to present these documents in person or provide certified copies,
[00:34:32] nicole: But here's the question to you, Jolene. Let's say this worked. Let's say we did that, but then you'd go into your polling place. Then what happens?
[00:34:42] Jolene: so you show your, voter registration where you've already had to prove everything. 'cause that's, then now you have a voter registration card
[00:34:50] nicole: Does your voter registration card have a photograph
[00:34:53] Jolene: A photo id? I think it will. I don't know. That's actually a really good question. You would have to,
[00:34:58] nicole: doing that, wouldn't you [00:35:00] just do that?
[00:35:01] Jolene: right? And then you have to have, but you have to show a photo ID as well. So when you show up to vote, if they didn't have this, this pre-registration, God, that maybe that's what they need to call it, is a pre-registration you've done all the documentating before actual election day. Because if you show up at the polls and you're asking the, election, um, officials to go through all your paperwork and your documents, nobody, I mean, that's not a very, um, effective system.
[00:35:31] So on the day of elections, then you're showing up at your polling place and you're showing your voter registration card and a photo id. This is who I am.
[00:35:42] nicole: in theory, I totally agree with you. It is the way it is being presented, the stuff that they're folding into the act to try to get away with it. And the fact that it's, wants it done before November, it's not gonna
[00:35:58] Jolene: Yeah, I would agree with [00:36:00] you on that. Completely agree with you on that.
[00:36:02] nicole: it, it makes Democrats certainly seem like, seriously, do you think we're suckers?
[00:36:07] Like you're trying to make sure that we lose
[00:36:10] Jolene: Yeah.
[00:36:11] nicole: you know, everyone is saying that we're totally gonna take the house. you're putting doubt into American's minds that something is wrong with our system and so therefore, 'cause I just feel like Joe, that he's just laying the groundwork so that they lose the house, he says there's fraud.
[00:36:30] Jolene: So if they lose the house, then um,
[00:36:34] nicole: Because I don't think
[00:36:35] Jolene: that.
[00:36:36] nicole: Do you?
[00:36:37] Jolene: Well, I was just gonna say then it will see, the proof will be in the pudding. If the, if the Republicans after that push for the save act at that point, okay, then we really do want, you know, free and fair elections.
[00:36:51] nicole: Absolutely.
[00:36:52] Jolene: just pushing it just to get it done before the midterms to screw people, then it's obviously wrong.
[00:36:57] So,
[00:36:58] nicole: This is the other thing. It used to [00:37:00] be when you lost, I don't care which side you were on, you conceded. people don't do that anymore.
[00:37:06] Jolene: certain people.
[00:37:07] nicole: people are not conceding. listen, I think we not actually in disagreement pretty much at all on this.
[00:37:15] Jolene: Yeah, I would agree,
[00:37:18] nicole: it's being rolled out. And I think also we're playing politics here. They're all playing politics. Trump's
[00:37:25] Jolene: right?
[00:37:25] nicole: saying, I'm not gonna pass anything until this is done. Schumer's trying to put his politics on, like, it's gonna affect women and people of color and people of color and women are going, fuck you.
[00:37:36] Like, let me be me and get, stay outta my way. And, then, then the entire idea is completely convoluted.
[00:37:47] Jolene: Yeah. Yep. I agree. See, we agree.
[00:37:52] nicole: Look at
[00:37:53] Jolene: Ah, vote for Nicole and Jolene co-presidents 2028.
[00:37:58] nicole: right.
[00:37:59] Jolene: do you have a, would you [00:38:00] rather
[00:38:00] nicole: I do.
[00:38:01]
[00:38:06] nicole: Would you rather be a genius that everyone, everyone thinks is an idiot
[00:38:17] Jolene: Okay.
[00:38:19] nicole: or be an idiot that everyone thinks is a genius?
[00:38:27] Jolene: Oh, 100% idiot. I would totally go for idiot that everyone thinks I'm a genius. 'cause I feel like it's the other way around. Right now I feel like I'm a genius and everyone thinks I'm an idiot.
[00:38:39] here's yours. Are you ready?
[00:38:41] nicole: I'm ready.
[00:38:41] Jolene: Would you rather. Forget to vote in an election where your candidate lost by one vote,
[00:38:51] nicole: Whoa.
[00:38:53] Jolene: or be featured on the front of the New York Times for being arrested in Chinatown for [00:39:00] buying a fake purse.
[00:39:08] nicole: Oh God. Okay, so I live downtown and I have to go through that nonsense day. I
[00:39:16] Jolene: So jealous.
[00:39:18] nicole: and Canal Street has just gotten so bad.
[00:39:20] Jolene: Ugh.
[00:39:21] nicole: it's so bad. and you're the one hilariously that introduced me to this world. I had
[00:39:27] Jolene: You didn't know about it before I told you about it.
[00:39:30] nicole: not. You came, you were like,
[00:39:33] Jolene: Mm-hmm.
[00:39:33] nicole: go do this thing. And I was like, what are you talking about? And you took me to Canal Street and you took me to some secret door. it was a whole other world.
[00:39:42] I had no idea. Didn't you buy a bunch of things to,
[00:39:46] Jolene: Oh my gosh. Every time we've gone, yes. We bought jewelry and purses and belts and watches and
[00:39:55] nicole: Yes.
[00:39:55] Jolene: they fell off the truck.
[00:39:56] nicole: They fell off the truck. Now it's, You can't even [00:40:00] walk down the street. I'm not kidding. Um,
[00:40:02] Jolene: they cracked down on it.
[00:40:03] nicole: once it was all for show,
[00:40:06] Jolene: Oh, really?
[00:40:07] nicole: it. They, you saw it on the news.
[00:40:09] Jolene: Yeah.
[00:40:10] nicole: Uh, it was a big show
[00:40:13] Jolene: Uh,
[00:40:14] nicole: It lasted for a day. ' cause that's
[00:40:17] Jolene: wow.
[00:40:18] nicole: works. how, I mean,
[00:40:19] Jolene: Hmm.
[00:40:20] nicole: thing. Smoke and mirrors, like, ooh, you know, we crack down. Mm-hmm. It's all over. So your question is,
[00:40:27] Jolene: Would you rather forget to vote in an election where your candidate lost by one vote or be featured on the front of the New York Times for being arrested in Chinatown for buying a fake purse?
[00:40:39] nicole: Listen, I would never buy the fake purse in the first place. So,
[00:40:44] Jolene: I asked you to go down there. You were. You were getting it for me.
[00:40:49] nicole: um, that makes me sad. 'cause of course I do that for you. And listen, to [00:41:00] vote and the candidate loses by one. That's like actors' night nightmare stuff. And I don't think I could live with myself about that.
[00:41:08] Jolene: Look at you. You're, you're doing this with your hands already, like you're thinking about it.
[00:41:12] nicole: about it and I'm like, you know what? If you asked me to do it, I would do it for you. So I'd get
[00:41:19] Jolene: Oh, my friend.
[00:41:20] nicole: and then I would be on the cover of the New York Times and then our podcast will just up. I'll
[00:41:28] Jolene: publicity is good publicity.
[00:41:29] nicole: That's right. I'm like, listen, I do think I do anything from my conservative friend. That purse better been worth it. Listen,
[00:41:41] Jolene: believe it.
[00:41:42] nicole: Do you know how, I mean, thousands of people a day are buying this. Fake shit and or stolen shit. I mean, I guess it's all of it. It's all the things and,
[00:41:55] Jolene: Oh my god, that's funny.
[00:41:56] nicole: get very excited about it. Yeah. So that's, that's my [00:42:00] answer.
[00:42:00] Jolene: Okay. Okay.
[00:42:03] nicole: Well, uh, thank you Jolene,
[00:42:05] Jolene: That was fun. Thank you.
[00:42:07] nicole: I mean, I'm, I'm constantly surprised by our conversation and I think listener and viewer, I really encourage. Uh, you two have these kind of conversations because I'm constantly surprised about what my friend is gonna say. the thing that I'm most surprised by is that when I delve into a subject that I'm gonna go in and talk to my friend Jolene about, I end up learning things and finding things out and, and my opinion starts to change.
[00:42:35] It is not about a left opinion or a right opinion. It's about my opinion and what I think. And then I talk to my friend who is not having a right opinion or a left opinion. She's having her opinion. And then you find that you have a lot of things that you're like, well, I can agree with that. Can you agree with this?
[00:42:51] Jolene: That is so well said.
[00:42:53] nicole: And if you don't agree with it, so what,
[00:42:56] Jolene: Right.
[00:42:57] nicole: doesn't mean that you're not your friend.
[00:42:59] Jolene: You're [00:43:00] still gonna go to Canal Street and buy me a purse because I asked you to.
[00:43:03] nicole: and I'm gonna get arrested for you 'cause I love you that much.
[00:43:08] Jolene: That is so well said. And the, I think the thing too that we realize is that I don't always think in the same patterns as you. And so you ultimately, you know, come to a conclusion based on your experience. And I never would've thought that. And so I'm like, oh, well, of course you think that this is all, you know, driven for that reason because I, I, I didn't think about that.
[00:43:32] So yeah, I agree. I, I think this is such good, healthy conversations. So
[00:43:37] nicole: Thank
[00:43:38] Jolene: you for joining us on, we've got to talk. We appreciate you and please share, like, subscribe, give us a comment, let us know what you want us to talk about or things that you are talking to your friends about. Um, we would love to hear it.
[00:43:51] So please reach out to us on our website,
[00:43:53] nicole: Let's have some positive love out there. We all really need it. I
[00:43:58] Jolene: It's a good one.
[00:43:59] nicole: [00:44:00] and
[00:44:00] Jolene: I love you, my friend.
[00:44:01] nicole: See you on the flip.
[00:44:02] Jolene: Okay.
[00:44:03] nicole: Bye.
[00:44:04]
