Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia is facing renewed scrutiny after reports and images showed campaign attendees being asked to present government-issued identification, despite his opposition to voter ID requirements and the SAVE Act in federal elections.
The issue was discussed during a televised exchange between Harris Faulkner and Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., which highlighted what critics describe as a contradiction between Ossoff’s campaign practices and his public policy positions.
“Critics are calling out Democrat Senator Jon Ossoff for asking campaign goers to show government ID at the door,” Faulkner said.
“There are a lot of pictures of this going on, but he doesn’t want to require the same thing for federal elections.”
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Faulkner referenced Ossoff’s opposition to the SAVE Act, which passed the House last year. At the time, Ossoff issued a statement sharply criticizing the legislation.
“This is a nakedly partisan, totally unworkable, bad faith bill, cynically intended to disenfranchise millions of eligible voters,” Ossoff said in that statement.
Faulkner noted that Ossoff’s opposition marked a departure from his earlier position on voter ID. She pointed to comments Ossoff made in 2021 during a Bloomberg interview, in which he expressed support for voter identification requirements.
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During that interview, a Bloomberg interviewer asked Ossoff directly about the issue.
“Are you open to things like voter ID if, in fact, they correct some of the other issues, like early voting?” the interviewer asked.
Ossoff responded at the time, “Absolutely, I think it’s right and appropriate and the widely held view of folks in Georgia and across the country that we need to be able to make sure we’re confirming the identity of folks who are participating in elections.”
Faulkner emphasized the contrast between Ossoff’s earlier remarks and his more recent opposition to voter ID legislation.
“So in 2021 he did agree with 71% of Democrat voters that voter ID is a good idea,” Faulkner said. “What changed between then and 2026?”
Schmitt argued that Ossoff’s shift reflects political calculations rather than a change in principle, citing Georgia’s electoral landscape and Ossoff’s vulnerability as a Democrat in the state.
“Well, he’s terrified because he’s the most vulnerable Democrat on the map,” Schmitt said.
“He’s elected in the state of Georgia, which is a conservative state that has two Democrat US senators. It’s also the home of Stacey Abrams, who engineered this mass mail in balloting scheme election or so two cycle ago, right?”
Schmitt continued by pointing to broad public support for voter ID requirements, arguing that the issue cuts across party lines.
“So he understands what’s at stake, which is, if you actually have people who are voting, and you require them to show ID that over 80% of Americans support like you would think in this country, we have a lot of things we can argue about that aren’t 8020 issues,” Schmitt said.
“This is an 80-20 issue. This is the kind of thing that we should get done here.”
Schmitt described the SAVE Act as a straightforward measure and suggested Democratic opposition is rooted in political self-interest.
“The SAVE AMERICA Act is common sense,” he said.
“The Democrats don’t like it because it because it threatens their power.”
Schmitt also tied the debate over voter ID to broader Democratic opposition to immigration enforcement.
“That’s the electrical cord that runs through all these positions they want to kneecap ICE’s ability to do their jobs, because they don’t want deportations and they want illegal immigrants to vote,” Schmitt said.
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