Sen. Mark Warner speaks at the confirmation hearing for Jay Clayton before the Senate Intelligence Committee during his nomination hearing on July 15, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Aaron Schwartz / Getty Images)
By Samuel Short July 24, 2026 at 10:58am
Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner was instantly rebuked when he tried lying about voter ID laws in his state.
Warner made an appearance on ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday where he spoke to host Jonathan Karl about laws requiring an ID.
This has been an ongoing topic amongst lawmakers and an increasingly frustrated American public as Congress stalls in passing the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship before casting a ballot.
“Is this something that Democrats should get behind?” Karl asked about requiring voter ID.
He added that “71 percent of Democrats say they favor it,” citing a poll by Pew Research.
Warner tried telling him, “In Virginia, we have voter ID and photo ID.”
Karl noted to him, “That’s actually not the case.”
Should the Senate pass the SAVE America Act?
“I mean, I’m a Virginia voter. You don’t need to show a photo ID in Virginia. There are a wide range of things you can show for ID, and if you don’t show one of those, you can sign an affidavit,” Karl added.
🚨 OMG. Stunning moment as Sen. Mark Warner (D) even gets called out by ABC for LYING that Virginia requires voter ID
ABC: Should Democrats get behind photo ID? 71% of Dems favor it!
WARNER: In Virginia, we have photo ID!
ABC: —that’s NOT the case, I’M a Virginia voter! 🤯… pic.twitter.com/tWe5wMMmdK
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 19, 2026
“Those become ballots that if you want to contest later, can be contested,” Warner argued, incorrectly believing this helped his cause. Rather than contest a ballot later, why not only let the right people cast it when they initially try?
Warner said his state has “voter ID of one form or another,” but his expression indicates he knows how ridiculous this all sounds.
Karl asked a simple question and Warner floundered. “Should that be a national standard?”
The lawmaker couldn’t formulate a coherent response. That’s because there is not one.
In February, CNN data analyst Harry Enten noted a poll showing that a majority of Americans — across both parties and across racial groups — support voter ID, and specifically photo ID.
Enten says the poll numbers concluded, “You’ve got 95 percent of Republicans, pretty much all of them. But even 71 percent of Democrats favor photo ID.”
Americans agree with Nicki Minaj when it comes to voter id.
83% of favor photo voter id to vote per Pew. This includes 70%+ of Democrats and Republicans, as well as 75%+ of Americans across races…. White, Black, and Latino.
It’s not controversial. pic.twitter.com/9Kocw85Uh8
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) February 3, 2026
He then showed the numbers for white, black, and Hispanic voters, which were 85 percent, 82 percent, and 76 percent respectively.
Enten’s report was prompted by an X post by singer-songwriter Nicki Minaj signaling her support.
The American people agree with her.
The only people who do not seem to agree are Democratic officials like Warner.
Without voter ID, Democrats can continue to amass illegitimate votes. It’s fraud, plain and simple.
There is no other explanation for being against requiring it.
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Sam Short is an Assistant Professor of History with Motlow State Community College in Smyrna, Tennessee. He holds a BA in History from Middle Tennessee State University and an MA in History from University College London. The views expressed in his articles are his own and do not reflect the views or opinions of Motlow State Community College.
