How the SAVE Act Could Cost Millions the Right to Vote

We have two big things for you today,

“but we're going to focus on one right now,”

and we'll come back to the next one. We are very fortunate to have Congresswoman Lauren Underwood with us. She is a Democrat from Illinois's 14th district and is a big champion of healthcare as a nurse. I believe registered nurse?

Okay. Registered nurse. But we want to dive into a topic today that is on everyone's mind, and that is the save act. And you have been talking a lot about this bill

that the Republicans barely passed in the house. And we're seeing a lot of people online saying, "Well, what's the big deal? Everyone's got an ID. Can you walk us through why this bill is so,

we'll be such a voter suppression bill if it were to pass the Senate and sign by the president?" For, so the save act, which has recently come back to the house as the Save America Act, is a brutal voter suppression bill

that would disenfranchise over 69 million American women

whose current name does not match their birth certificates. So what this piece of legislation would do

“is require either a birth certificate or a passport”

in order to register to vote and your name would need to match those documents exactly. And then you would also need an ID to actually vote, because registering and voting are two separate actions. Right.

The most recent bill that came before us in the house also would require states to turn over the voter rolls to Christie known. It is outrageous. And so the reason I'm trying to let folks know what's going on is that the Republicans have already tried this.

They tried it last year, they tried it in the last Congress, but what has changed is that the Freedom Caucus has gone to Donald Trump and has told Donald Trump that it is time for him to get rid of the filibuster. In order to pass the Save Act or Save America Act

through the Senate, which means they are desperate.

They know that they are losing in 2026.

They're redistricting scheme did not work. And now they are trying to snatch away the right to vote from tens of millions of Americans. Yeah, it just just to be clear because there's one piece of here that really affects all Americans, particularly women

who are married and taken their husband's name. So if you have not gotten a new passport or new identification, if that bill were too past tomorrow, you would not be allowed to vote.

“Correct? You have to go through the process of getting a passport”

or some other form of ID, which of course costs money, which I would say is a full text. That's what I'm saying to you. Oh, it's just, it's the passport or your birth certificate. And then you would have to bring your marriage certificate

showing the change of name to the election office in order to update your address or update your registration. No. Because the marriage certificate is not an acceptable form of ID. It's that birth certificate or the passport.

And as you know, passports are not free. Right. 60 bucks. So do you have to get it? You would have to, so if a, let's just go through this.

If a woman is married, she has changed her name. But she is either not registered to vote or she moved. She needs to update her voter registration information. What does she have to do? She has to get a new passport with her married name on it.

Or if she's got a birth certificate, then how does she connect the dots between that and her photo ID, which has her married name? Right. So it's about what your registered to vote asked.

Okay. So let's say she's registered to vote as Patty Smith. But her name is now Patty Jones. Right. She needs a passport that says Patty Jones.

Or she needs a birth certificate that says Patty Jones. That marriage certificate is wonderful. It's beautiful. The document that recognizes that beautiful glorious union, but that is not enough for her to be able to vote.

Keep it from over the live laugh love poster. She should hear apparently. And so Patty Jones would need to find that couple hundred bucks. Need to have that up to three month wait time. Between the time that she files for that passport and that election.

Registration deadline in her state. Right. Because often in many states, not Illinois, of course, but in many states that registration deadline is not actually election day. Right. And needs to apply for that passport.

Have the money for that passport to then receive that passport. And then go into that registrar's office and re-register. That's what we're talking about. Yes. So to visit example.

When my wife and I got married. Uh, we, uh, you know, it was in October of, I'm not going to put that on. I'm going to date myself. Very old. Very old.

Very old. Yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We, yeah. We didn't have passports because nobody could go overseas because there are no boats in no case.

Of course. He can't swim that far. Right. Exactly. The steamship's had an event of it yet.

It was in this century. Yes.

she's all of a sudden ineligible to vote.

Right. That's how that works. Right. So any of that works on this Republican proposal? Right.

And I think passports are good for 10 years or something like that. So like, if you got a two years before, you've got to go back and get another one and pay another 160 dollars. So Congressman, my question to you is, how is this not a poll taps? Well, it is a poll taps. Right.

It is a poll taps, absolutely.

“I think we also have to remember that, you know, at baseline, most Americans don't have a passport.”

At baseline.

And I think we have to remember that this is not a like regional voter suppression effort in the way that we think of voter suppression typically.

Right. It's, you know, I think a lot of us that don't live in the south think it's a phenomenon that happens to Americans and some other part of the country. And it's really a change that touches all of us in every zip code. And it's really expensive. In a time when the average American does not have any discretionary income does not have any room in their budget for anything extra much less.

A hundred and sixty dollars for themselves, their partner and their adult children. To make sure everyone has that passport with the current name. Well, I, I did the math for the average American who makes, you know, the average income in this country. And after tax, it's 11 hours of work to pay for your 160 dollar passport. Wow.

So a day and a half. You'd have to work just to have the same. A day and a half today to get your passport.

I had a comment the other day.

I did a video about this and I had a comment. And the person said, you know, why are you? Like a hundred percent agree with everything from the left of saying about this bill. But why are we only talking about, you know, marginalized voters, young voters. If female voters said, this is a problem for everyone like to your point.

And so I did a little additional research. I live in a red state. I'm married. My wife kept her name. And I was like, I'm going to look that up.

“Do you know whose twice is likely as democratic women to change their names when they get married?”

Republican women. Mary. Yeah, right. And so then I kept, you know, kept digging. Donald Trump obviously won married white Republican women by something like 90% like 90 to 10.

They're twice as likely to be disenfranchised by this piece of shit bill. Then democratic women. And so then you layer on rural voters have a lot farther to go to get to an election office if something's off. Red states tend to not have as much money. And so you look at Medicaid take rates. You look at the people who are getting hit with the expired subsidies with the Affordable Care Act.

This on the whole might actually be worse for rural white voters for rural married women and their families. Then it is for Democrats. It's still terrible for Democrats. But this is not a partisan issue. And that was a major awakening as I was looking at, you know, because we make everything.

Left versus right or right versus left, but Republicans are hurting themselves. As much as they're hurting because they're just hurting America. They're just screwing over everybody. They're hurting elections. They're hurting democracy because they're serving Donald Trump.

They're not serving. They're Republican agenda necessarily. They're not serving their own values of their own goals. They're just trying to serve Donald Trump because he's demanding this. So every single American should be against this.

And I don't know how we infuse that argument back into the conversation. Because once it gets down to this left versus right, like is there a filibuster and the talking filibuster and all of that. It becomes, you know, more about just throwing insults over the fence than talking about what the actual bill does. I mean, I think that that's right.

“But I, and I also want people to remember that they are trying to cheat.”

They're trying to steal the election and they are feeling like their backs are up against the wall. Why? Because their failed economic agenda has hurt the same people that you're speaking of. Right. The Medicaid cuts hurt the same communities.

You know, the ACA tax credits expiring hurt. These things mean snap cuts. You know, the trade war right hurts the farmers. And so, you know, they, they being the Trump administration have already demonstrated that they are willing to enact policies that hurt their base. That it's like a proven fact over and over.

I think what's surprising in this moment to many people is that this is happening as the election season is beginning. It seems they're going to go vote in two weeks. Right. So it's go time and now they're trying to change the rules just like they tried to change the maps.

And I think we've seen time and time again since really since the 2024 elections.

“Democrats have been overperforming time and time again in some places that are, frankly, unfathomable to some of those work to politics for 20 years.”

This is the state Senate race in Texas that was about 32 points swing.

We've seen even in places where Republicans won the margins are always, always smaller.

So they are looking at an absolute wipeout here. So so congressman, my question is, you know, we, we talk a lot about how mega, the mega base votes against its best interest time and time again. Tax credit didn't help them at all. Help billionaires. The, the ACA said it subsidies devastating closing hospitals devastating.

Do we have a unique opportunity right now to potentially reach out to some of these folks and say, Hey, like, I mean, I know saying, you know, we know you were wrong.

That idea, but like, is there an opportunity to reach out to some of these folks and tell them, like, look,

Democrats are actually the ones that are for poor working class middle class Americans. And the Republicans just take money from you every opportunity they get. Yes, and that's when we've seen the democratic overperformance and these special elections in Texas and Louisiana. And Iowa, you know, we've just seen time and time again Democrats being able to win and bright formally bright red areas because people are so fed up with these failed economic policies.

“However, I think that in the context of that election that democratic candidates still has to prove themselves still has to articulate a viable plan for helping the community still has to earn that community's trust right.”

But it's just going to pick team democratic party just because we are not Trump. We have to be able to articulate a plan to move our country forward and to support that voter and their families.

Of course, that has to happen.

I think that we are going to be very successful in the November elections. I think we absolutely are going to flip the house. I think that we're going to post double digit games. Okay, like, it's game time. However, we haven't won anything yet.

Yeah, right. And they're trying to stop us. I so my advice to people has been twofold one get your shit in order get your like just get those stupid ass documents because I'm seeing comments from people saying like, oh, it's a pull tax that'll never survive.

“You know, I stop saying never all long time ago like around 10 years ago around 20 there's something in 2016 that made me stop saying never actually can.”

I can imagine that my DNA blocked it out of my of my memory, but so I'm telling people like. Do you know where your birth certificate is because if you're 20 to 35, it's probably a mom and dad's house, right, like 18 to 35. They don't trust you. Why are we going to be in bed? Luke, where is your birth certificate?

Yeah, where's your birth certificate? Your birth certificate. Your birth certificate. I don't know who started with me. Right, right, right, between the gun and the exactly, but get your shit in order now trust trust no Republican run government system like I'm not a conspiracy theorist. But that's where I'm at now. So I know where my birth certificate is. I have an expired passport, but my name also matches my birth certificate and I haven't moved in like 20 years.

If you're uncertain about any of these things get that shit in order now no matter what because. There is a scenario where they pass this and they still lose 30 to 40 seats and we immediately rip that shit out of the out of the federal books. I very much don't want to have to get it to that point because that is a very, very dystopian scenario. They could also result in like maybe conflicts at polls when people go to vote and they say sorry you can't vote it's a bad it's a bad scenario on the other hand.

I do want to talk about the like the legal implications. If this did pass, I know there are a lot of pieces we talked about the poll tax, but like is it even constitutional for the for for the government to just take over some parts of how states administer elections. That's one question and then like does it hold up against supreme court cases or like would it hold up in the court. Because I would imagine a federal judge would probably file an injunction on behalf of married women marginalized voters and then there would be like a whole bunch of legal battles playing out all summer as we get ready to vote.

How are you thinking about like what what are the contingency plans if they do pass this thing like what do you think is going to how would it play out. Rich, I hope this is not offensive to you or your audience, but I've got had it with John Roberts. I don't have confidence in the illegitimate Supreme Court and I am not counting on them to uphold any of my rights or the constitution at this point. They have already demonstrated a willingness to throw away the constitutional rights of the American people in order to expand the presidential powers of not just any American president.

But only president Donald Trump the worst one, okay, and so I just want people to expect to expect funny business at the polls.

In the event, a national guardsman or a mass armed ice agent is standing at their polling place, we have to expect them to try to deal to discount and throw out mail and ballots, we have to expect them to try to say that your documents are invalid and you are no longer registered.

“And I think that people are sort of like, well, can't it happen expected to happen right assume it will.”

Yes, for pair of the worst.

Yeah, I think that's right. I mean, I think we, you know, obviously the Supreme Court gave the president basically absolute immunity, which is for official business, whatever that means, which is its reactions. Which they determine actions, whatever action after the fact like six months from now. Right, it's just like, you know. Uh, you know, it's just absolute madness. Are you, do you hear it all? I asked this sometimes the members. Do you hear privately from some Republicans? They're unease for this or they just all in on it because like sometimes you hear the whispers and like the, you know, the AM like political news letters and stuff you hear like people, you know, saying, well, I don't really know about this, but I'm afraid.

Are you hearing any of that at all or is it just they are all in. I hear some whispers around some of the immigration stuff. Yeah. They will acknowledge it's gone too far.

“You know, people's rights are being violated. No one should be being executed. You know, I mean, these, the maltreatment of people in the detention centers, particularly the kids and the pregnant women, right?”

Like people will, in conversation affirm that. I think on the voting rights side. Um, the current Republican majority has been made in the image of MAGA. That mythical traditional Republican no longer exists in the House of Representatives. They have all retired or been voted out all of them. Yeah.

When I think about my first term, in my first term, I had four bills by partisan bills signed into law by Donald Trump. Okay.

And every single Republican that I worked with is gone. Wow.

“Guys are gone. And so, you know, I think that while we may know Republicans and our community who are very reasonable when we actually do share values and, you know, I mean, they're willing to call out the hypocrisy and illegal actions.”

That individual does not exist in the House of Representatives. Right. Right. I mean, with the only one we see ever. And it's only related to Epstein is Tom Assey with the Epstein files stuff. But otherwise, it's like look what's happening to him, right?

They're all turning and going after him. And it's basically just proof of why these guys just all fall in line because they know like the MAGA world is going to get them.

Yeah, but I want to sort of, I want to sort of pivot a little bit because I want to talk about some of these things where I think we could have an impact on the election in 2026 regardless of of the safe act. What are the things that you have found that resonate most with, let's say, independent or right leaning voters that other candidates should hear about and start talking about and like people like us should be like screaming from the rooftops to help to help back this up because I think we have a unique opportunity here.

We haven't had in decades because I agree with you. I think we're going to have a 30, 40 seat majority. I think we have a real shot at the Senate and I'm from Maine where Susan Collins seems to survive forever even though she's a right wing hack. So what are the thing, what are the, what are the entry points that we can, that we can use to for some of these people who maybe are like I've never voted Democrat, but it's so bad and it's so obviously Donald Trump's fault. I'm now maybe listening. So I think we start with affordability. And that is an umbrella term. So for me, it starts with healthcare costs and exploring how the cost of prescription drugs have gone up and exploring what happened with the ACA tax credits and how we are so far away from healthcare being actualizes a human right in this country because Donald Trump has, you know,

the cost more people to go uninsured, right? We need to be able to explore and discuss and be fluent in the language of the problem and also the specific solutions we want to embrace. Right, let's talk about utilities. It is fabulous. Well, today it's February. I don't know what this is. Okay, it's February and in many parts of the country, this has been a broadly cold winter and utilities costs electricity heat have been off the charts and then we have this like AI data center conversation happening at the same time.

There's all these, they're rolling back the clean energy incentives right and so there's so much to explore in this high utilities conversation and enables candidates in their community have a very focused conversation about what's going on. And to show that connectivity, you know, housing in my community, we don't talk so much about rent because most people own their homes, but if you are, you know, early in your career and you're trying to buy a home that mythical starter home does not exist.

But make housing affordable for everyone else. Like, I can't imagine how anybody looks at that and goes, that makes sense.

“You could separate the fly from demand. Easy. I don't, I don't understand it. And he also said he was going to do all these things on day one.”

And the one that kills me because I used to, in the Obama administration, I worked at the interior department, so we did a lot of work on renewable energy. Housing these offshore wind farms that have taken us decades to to get through the permitting processes that fire metal reviews, all of these things and can power hundreds of thousands of homes at any one time. And he is saying no, I know the courts are overruling him a bunch, but he's saying no, because he doesn't like windmills because he could see them at his golf course in Scotland. He doesn't care about anybody.

So it's not on our team. They're killing whales. Oh, is that what he said, they're killing whales under kill in numbers?

Yeah, anyways, well, I don't think he can spell it. And they give people cancer. I don't think you show them a whale, you know what it is. But I saw this funny thing that I think is that people were talking about how to attach from reality. Donald Trump is and has lived in this fantasy land. Someone was like, does he even know what's inside a refrigerator?

“Like, he just has hand to him. And I think that's why we see that he just wants to help his billionaire friends and he has never cared about anybody else.”

And I do think people are noticing it. I'm sure you're hearing, I would have to assume in your community you're hearing more and more anti from Trump. Even though, I mean, because your district isn't a super blue district, right? Like you've had to close races. You've done a really good job. So you've been winning by more margins as you've got along. But like, are you hearing it more in your community from those folks, as well, that like they've just had it with him? They've had it. They're fed up with the violence, they're fed up with the chaos.

And they really don't like the corruption and how it's making things more expensive for them, right? It's not just that Trump and his kids and his billionaire buddies are getting richer, but it's also that it's coming at their expense. And people know it. It is so blatantly obvious. And there are people in my community are deeply offended and they're very angry. Yeah, yeah.

“And I think we've seen that across the country. I mean, especially would you have cell phone footage that's irrefutable of what they're doing in the communities.”

You are, I want to move to help go back to healthcare again, and you are a big advocate for maternal healthcare, which in this country has actually never been where it should be.

And we have worked over the years to to help with that. I know Obama cared to some and Biden administration did some. But I want to, you know, this is another issue, especially as women in white women in particular tend to be a bit of swing voters. And this is an issue, obviously, that most of them either have experience with or care about. What has happened with maternal health since Donald Trump has taken office? So in our country, we've had maternal health crisis for decades, where certain moms, namely black moms, but not exclusively black moms are more likely to die.

We see crisis in rural communities and some other racial and ethnic groups as well. And 80% of these deaths are preventable. But in recent years, we've had a number of events that actually made this crisis worse. Number one was COVID. The pandemic was devastating for maternal health in this country. And then in 2022, the dobs decision. We saw an immediate spike in preventable maternal death in those states that enacted partial or total abortion bands. And then last summer when Trump and the Republicans passed the big ugly bill.

Guiding the Medicaid program taking a trillion dollars out of Medicaid. Medicaid is the payer for the majority of deliveries births here in this country. And under the Biden administration, every state except for one had expanded Medicaid to be a full year postpartum meeting that mom now had health care coverage for the full year after delivering her baby. And now here comes Donald Trump gutting that program that offered moms their health care. So where we sit today is that there have been some really high profile cases in the news showing near near misses right people who almost died because they had been ignored.

They're there complaints have been completely dismissed or instances of moms actually dying because of this maternal health crisis and the Trump administration is perfectly content to let it continue. It's just mind blowing especially since they claim and like Elon Musk who's like everybody should have 35 kids and I'm trying to I'm trying to personal he's which is crazy because his kids fucking hate him. Well, he does have a he does have a trans daughter who does not speak to anymore and he also posted some stuff last week.

Like I didn't go here. You know I mean it's like and like it supports for people like us. So when they say that stuff congressman are they just saying like we want rich people to have lots of kids and like we don't we just like you guys are off like or did they not even are they didn't be connecting these these dots because I I feel like they absolutely know what they're doing. Well, they've made no secret their white Christian and nationalist ideology that is a unifying thread between the speaker of the house and Steven Miller and Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson and Peter to yes like these folks and they're like call it racist I feel like is almost to like reductive like this is it is a very specific world view that lifts up.

“White male heterosexual rich men as the soul and most deserving of the benefits of citizenship in this country and they are trying to remake all laws and rights to affirm that world view and you know.”

I mean this whole trend of them all having babies right now very. Let's let's let's call it 21st century eugenics because they're not going out and just trying to kill the people they don't like they're trying to make policies and and in funding through corporate donations.

A system that allows only those people to have babies and get power and get money and vote like that is that is very clearly the linear logic of all of the decisions that they make.

We'll talk about how Caroline I Caroline love it became pregnant three months after they were all these like questions about her and all of these things with and the or was a Katie or was it sorry maybe I'll get the wrong person Steven Miller's wife after there was all this stuff and it's just like it's just so.

“I don't think I want to point out and I want to this is going to lead me to your to your last question Congresswoman but Forbes put out a thing today at our a post on Instagram that showed the richest 25 men in the world.”

And they're and their charitable given the percentage of wealth that they give.

The top two were Elon Musk who is worth 800 billion dollars that there's funny money in there, but that's the number and Larry page the co-founder of Google is worth.

five five six hundred bill so there worth over trillion dollars they both are in the tenths of one percent like one tenth of one of one percent of their given right so when you guys take congress back house back next year. What is the plan to make them pay their fair share actually very clear or not a loop for you Congress.

I like it. Sorry go ahead Congressman you know it's clear that a few things need to be done one these tax breaks that were made permanent in the big ugly bill need to be repealed.

Right that they you know basically are effectively require to pay no taxes proportionately and then secondly you know we need to change the tax code so that like we can protect essential programs like social security to make these guys actually pay their fair share. Right so that current seniors can get a little bit of a raise right passing social security 21 hundred just as an example right you tax the rich.

“I think that's a very effective way to protect from millennials and jenzy and jenzy and jenzy these gen alphabeties that are coming along the way right like that is just a really concrete example of what's possible in a democratic majority.”

The government services like Medicare Medicaid snap and then philanthropy would be there to pick up the slack is so absurd right there is no amount a charitable giving that will stamp out hunger in this country. No amount a charitable giving that will enable the American people to avoid medical bankruptcies like that is not really a thing that these guys are not setting up and giving the to the go fund me for every single person that gets in a car accident or gets an unexpected cancer diagnosis or whatever that is not the world that we're living in.

And so the idea that we're going to be looking to musk or Larry Page to get us out of this mess is absurd right you know I don't even use words like this usually but you know Bernie and Alex went on this oligarchy tour. And like we are not counting on the oligarchs and their generosity to get us out of this mess we have to create laws and policies that are equitable that lift up working people.

You know we really we really need it and I'm glad that I'm very hopeful and I'm very excited to see you in the majority this time next year.

“And hopefully we'll get some nice chairmanship so we can we can watch you hold Republicans and billionaires accountable. But until then where could people work at people find you I want to make sure people can connect with you.”

Well if you care about a multi racial democracy and protecting your voting rights that you want a lower cost than you know save our country like follow us at rep under what our EP under when on all socials. Excellent congressman thank you very much is great to have you on again we'll have to have you again soon so but thank you for all you do.

Boy congressman underwood is great she is she is just so smart and like passing four bills as a freshman I don't think people are to have some bills for public bipartisan bills.

Yeah is is so unheard of and you know I know she's starting to get more well known now but man. Passive four bills like there are senators that have been in the Senate for decades who have not passed one bill. So for a freshman to do that is pretty remarkable so we're glad that she is.

“Big friend of the show but anyway no sorry just because like the further we get from this area by partisanship I think like I remember.”

Newt Gingrich and Ted Kennedy like going to war because they're on opposite sides going to war in the 90s over these big heavy bills and then like they would say horrific shit.

But then they would compromise until they got to some sort of agreement where both bases were pissed and I'm like that is how government used to work and it's very unsatisfying because it's extremely messy and it nothing nobody ever gets all of what they want or even like half of what they want. But usually things get incrementally better and the further we get from that now that it's been 10 years like my daughter's 12 and she she her first memory was Donald Trump you know he was president you know when my daughter.

So there are entire generations that don't know that government can't work like this and so to have somebody like a representative underwood in office like this is going to.

“Drift and get worse and then we're just going to completely forget what it even means to work together and compromise.”

Like we said I maybe you said it it's like what she was proposing we do is not. You've got to pump the pump the brakes have all the babies but we're going to give you none of it also we're going to overturn roe v Wade and you don't get to vote either you yeah and that and now we're going to take millions tens of millions of women's vote votes away from the who won't even know it right that's the other part of this like. Most if that bill were to pass which I'm hoping it won't but if it did I don't think most of those people at effects would have any clue which is which is the entire point well and it would only get money or so.

You know I know like we don't like to go down the well maybe this won't be as bad path because like we have to keep people opposed to it like the the official you know. And so you know a lot of what I'm seeing out there is is that but the fact is that if they did pass this which like I keep looking up like what's you know looking for objective analysis on like what are the odds this actually becomes law as written today and it's something like below five percent because. If it even if it gets past which like it has to get through the filibuster and john tune would have to change is mind a lot of things would have to change even if it gets past.

There would be immediate court challenges then we're running into an election and election dates and so then the courts have to decide like did they file an injunction to stop it and like suspended till 2030 like. And so that's what we're seeing is that the government is going to have to do that and that's what we're seeing is that the government is going to have to do that and that's what we're seeing is that the government is going to have to do that and that's what we're seeing is that. You're going to have to do something if they've if they've moved if all you did was move since the last federal election you're going to have to do something really incredibly stupid like have to drive to a polling station with a bunch of documents or spend a bunch of money and wait three months to get your passport which could put you pass the election so like.

This is just so true I didn't think about it is just so bad and it's all because Trump just told them to they've given up on the economy and they just they're in Hail Mary mode was they're Hail Mary right this is their own interesting thing to me is that when they they've taught these polls are like 90% of American support voter ID. That's not what this is right. That's not they do not try out what percent of America's support. Save act. Well, baby, once you explained it, I mean even we weren't even clear in the congresswoman was like explaining like no, no, no, no, I do do not count like state IDs do not count real the real ID.

Take a I take my passport, but if they were really if they really cared about voter ID, I still think that would be wrong but having it be like you just need to operate to the real ID like I would still oppose it, but it's like at least you could make an argument this has no argument this is just a voter surprise so just out of morbid entertainment let's just go through this if so I pulled up but it's the the Google summary, but if you're a married woman who changed their name.

“And you don't have a US, or a US passport, a current US passport, which again takes could take months and costs like 160 bucks or something to go get.”

So in two thirds of people in red states do not have current passports.

So this is so this is two thirds of red state people half of more than half of married women 90% of Republican married women so this very heavily ways on on on that group. If they don't have a passport, they need to then provide what is called the chain of identity.

“A document supporting a chain of identity to link your current name to your citizenship documentation and that involves this it typically involves so they haven't even defined it in the act this is just what would normally be required.”

Certified US birth certificate proof of name change, which includes a marriage license or a divorce decree if you've got divorced and kept your your married name or a court order for a legal name change like if James Donald Bowman wanted to go and and update his registration. And a government issued photo ID and then you also have to do that in person so if you don't have that that's it or that passport. You have the in person requirement per the act and so you have to bring these fucking documents to a voter registration office which also might not be the DMV they don't some states don't do automatic registration like when you when you deal with your license.

So if you're in Missouri or Oklahoma, if you're one of these you might have to drive three or four hours with the stack of documents and then like let's be real you get there and they you show all these stupid ass documents and they don't have a system to vet all of those documents because this act doesn't fund that or even mandate the training on how to deal with those documents.

“So you get so they get these documents and then they say, well, this one doesn't look right go back and home, go back home and get another one like this is a yeah, forget it don't strive in the making.”

Let's also to forget if you are you know poor working class you are more likely to rent, which means you are more likely to move fairly regularly.

And what happens when everybody moves you lose it like you just do and they know that so like that's part of the calculus here on the port working class families they're just assuming that they're not going to try. Like that's that is what this has to be because somebody who's making is at the poverty level is not it doesn't have a passport or sorry guys, but like unless they're on the Canadian border. Right now next week like that doesn't fucking yeah at the drop of a hat, you know that's the federal minimum wage is what five 725 hours still 725 and this is a hundred sixty dollar.

So I'm just going to jump his raised taxes on board working class families selling twice or several times the tariffs with the big bullshit bill if that were to pass like it's just madness so you know anyways people call your Republican senators say how no to the stupid bill, especially if you live in places like Maine like let's see if Susan Collins is actually a moderate she's done, but let's test it.

Lisa Berkowski, you know you starting to get to a point where you know you can't you all ask it and you're going to drive from the banks to fucking anchorage or something.

Right well, and there's it's Lisa Berkowski's not up with the dance Sullivan is and he that's a little bit like they're not going to be super into that. And yeah, so anything that's if they're going to if Donald Trump is not going to be on the ballot to carry their asses if if this is truly their Hail Mary. Like we need to just do if they're going to pass this jump through the hoops and fucking destroy them like that is the that then becomes the only thing like 50 vote swing because oh low and behold it turns out that like democratic voters didn't change their names they live closer to election offices because they live urban areas like.

Right take advantage of more involved and pay attention to doing what exactly and they're and they're fairly pissed off probably and so they're more motivated to do this. This could be the end of. Maybe dozens of Republican careers. Definitely if not 50 or 60 or 70 if they if they support this because it's going to backfire on them very badly and we will make sure it's well it's also.

I mean we're seeing it you see it unless something happens in between but like right now there is no sign that this is going to be close.

“It has to be a blow out for us to have a shot at the Senate which is critically important because there's also reports guys get ready to groan.”

Samuel Alito is thinking about retirement. Well of course he will right because because my 20 if we if we have a fair free and fair election 20 eight it ain't going to be a it ain't going to be a Republican and if we take the Senate just in 10 months. We can give them the Merit Garland treatment for the last two years and just not vote to confirm. I don't you know what placement whoever is leader if it's Schumer or whoever.

Like we are going to be on your ass if you don't if you vote to confirm somebody else.

For just no not even that let the vote go do just say no eight justices we do have one problem.

“We do have one problem we have one member that is a problem.”

John Fetterman sure so we're going to have that guy yes. John Fetterman yes but we have to be but if we get 52 it well but even if we get 51 or even 50 well no so no 51 would matter because then it's 50 but they can force the the vote to the floor. The Senate majority leader also appoints the person who's in charge of the decision you want to hold the hearing so the judicial the chair of the judicial Senate judicial committee and the Senate majority leader would both have to give the stamp of approval for.

And then here is what what I could tie right vote right up so Victor urban is retiring so he will not be the chair of the of the judiciary committee but this is what I want. This is what I want anyone who wants that job this is what I want their slogan to be. Mr or miss senator. Are you going to hold hearings on a Supreme Court justice if if one were to open and I just want them to do this. Right and if you are audio it is a middle finger salute I don't need words I just want to hear.

Fuck no and that's it like we didn't do this by way this this they did this and so they stole that seat. And so I remember the day I saw that it's going to be a die does like oh my god we're going to get we're going to get another seat and that you know so like.

So we're unprecedented as they always are.

“Oh yes well but I think we've got to move to our we promise to big announcements.”

The first was having congresswoman underwood on was great but the second is guys we're doing a live state of the union. And we're going to have a response show live from Washington DC with us members of congress maybe some governors got some interest there and creators. And what we're going to do it's Wednesday what the state of your news Wednesday the 24th of February so it's next Tuesday. We're going to do a two hours seven to nine will be our version of the state of the union because we want to make sure that you get all the factual information before that bozo goes up and lies through his teeth.

And says all kinds of crazy stuff but for those of you who don't want to watch because I understand a lot of you don't. We're actually also going to live react through the show to his so that I think will be more entertaining the just hearing him so we will be live. We'll do a split screen with him and we're going to provide all of the witty banter the sharp jokes that you're used to hearing from us. We're going to do like 50 spit takes I will do 50 spit takes yes. And then we're going to have a wrap 90 minutes afterwards where we talk all about what we heard and all the bullshit and have some more about the board creators.

But no, we should do we should give Luke and IPA and then he can do real spit takes every time Trump says some double shit. Right and he's having a drink he'll just which just that's Luke when you when you when you grant gain some maturity and some. We've got plenty of maturity under you can like cut you to half a country like IPA's Luke's worried that the hops will give them like the man the moves that that that the I the millennial IPA drinkers. I mean, he's very concerned with his aesthetic so we have to be spend all that time in the gym for nothing.

Yeah, but so you're going to have the three of us zacks to be back. He just said a doctor when we're going to have people talking about real this time. Not like Tim's a person. Yeah, that's an actual one and yeah, not like my imaginary colonoscopy, which every which you get and I'm not knocking them, but they were just lying anyways. So yes, so we went into the episode now we find out that there's the four listeners now that we were lying. We talked last week or the last episode they know they know I've been had people saying we're so glad you're okay.

We are find out dot com slash S O T you will be that and look like these things tend to be boring. I mean, who wants to listen to Scott Jennings say all kinds of bullshit on CNN or like so you'd be like oh well tonight is the night that Donald Trump finally became president like you don't want to that shit.

So coming out with us we're going to have a good time.

I've got to figure out how to be on live TV not TV but live camera for five straight hours is going to be you'll get to watch us experience that which will probably be hilarious. And maybe we'll be able to answer some questions of yours too, but we're going to have a question.

“I know that I think the FCC bars self emulation on like broadcast news, but do you think self emulation is allowed on YouTube streaming.”

Like in case this gets really bad, we can just just light ourselves with fire. Yeah, I mean, I mean, we all know that it's only for broadcast and radio, right, so like we didn't even talk about that whole ridiculous thing we're in the college. Yeah. FCC try to tell. Tell Barry why CBS news not to air the James Taylor week.

And the jail story and then the Colbert goes I'm Aaron in anyways, or I'm going to talk about it. And then the YouTube stream. I don't want any episode of Colbert ever.

Two things, right, first of all, more views for Colbert that he would have had if it was just aired and to tell Rico break didn't yesterday is what I heard like because obviously so.

Don't watch CBS either guys, it is a right wing hack machine.

“So come with us, you could put your YouTube up on your TV stream it, you know, everyone's got a YouTube app on their TVs at this point, right?”

So it's going to be fun, it's going to be exciting and it's live so, you know, anything could happen. We could give Luke an IPA, he could enjoy it. No, I don't think that's going to happen, but you'll have to tune in to find out. Yep, see there you go.

So anyways, it is we are findout.com slash SOTU.

Go side up there or go to our YouTube channel, which is just at findout podcast.

“But that also means, are we doing a Tuesday show? Are we doing that?”

No, I haven't heard from our guest here. Okay. So that might be the show next week, guys. By because it is a lot to put this on, we actually have like 10 people helping us with this. Like this is going to be a serious operation. So we're very excited for all of you to join us.

And so we may just do the one show, which also will be our live show as well. So don't don't knock us too much for not doing extra episodes because setting this up the way that we're setting up is going to be really great. But it is also also a lot. So with that, we got to go work on it some more. So on behalf of Rich and Luke and this is Tim that which I'm just getting better at saying who we are. So people can actually recognize our voices.

Go go sign up for that event. Go buy some merch at findout.com or get a membership at findout.com and help support us. So with that, thank you everybody and we will see you next Tuesday. February 24th at 7 p.m. Eastern. Thanks guys.