In a 53-47 vote, all Senate Democrats blocked the legislation, including centrist Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA). Fetterman previously indicated he would vote “yes” if the SAVE America Act was stripped down to a voter ID proposal.

Isolating the voter ID provision reflected an attempt by Republicans to focus on the bill’s most popular provision, as upward of 80% of voters support the requirement in recent surveys. But Democrats in the lead-up to the vote argued that election laws should be left to the states or otherwise accused Republicans of a disingenuous attempt to “cover up” the real intent behind the bill.

Republicans framed the outcome as evidence that Democrats do not support secure elections.

“What this amendment will do,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said Thursday, “is force Democrats to come clean on whether or not they actually support voter ID in a real way. Not photocopies of debit cards or utility bills, as Democrats once proposed.”

The vote is part of a weekslong messaging campaign on the SAVE America Act, a bill that Trump has called his top legislative priority. In addition to voter ID, it requires proof of citizenship when registering to vote and would restrict most types of voting by mail.

The bill will not pass, due to GOP reluctance to sidestep the 60-vote filibuster, but Thune is using the debate to paint Democrats as standing against “common-sense” proposals ahead of the midterm elections.

Democrats rejected language on transgender athletes that Trump wanted attached to the SAVE America Act over the weekend. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), meanwhile, has attempted to turn the focus elsewhere and managed to call a vote on paying Transportation Security Administration workers on Saturday.

The debate is taking place amid a partial government shutdown that has left thousands of Department of Homeland Security employees without paychecks.

In recent days, Senate Democrats have said they support voter ID, a message echoed by Schumer himself. He’s pointed to the Freedom to Vote Act, a Democratic-authored bill that requires non-photo options, such as bank statements or utility bills, for states that require identification at the ballot box.

It would not require states to adopt ID laws if they do not already have them, however, and Republicans argue a specific photo requirement should not be a burden for voters given how many aspects of everyday life require it.

The GOP legislation, offered by Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) on Thursday, is limited to driver’s licenses, passports, or the photo ID issued by the military or tribal authorities.

DEMOCRATS FLIP SCRIPT ON STATES’ RIGHTS TO OPPOSE NATIONAL VOTER ID

Without Democratic support, Republicans are contemplating using reconciliation, a budget process that only requires a simple majority, to pass components of the SAVE America Act. Every provision must have a direct fiscal impact to qualify for reconciliation, meaning Republicans would likely be limited to attaching strings to the money doled out to states for the administration of elections.  

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), the Budget Committee chairman, has sought to temper expectations and on Tuesday called the party-line bill he is envisioning a “down payment” on the SAVE America Act.