Adam Schiff spent years telling Americans the SAVE Act is Jim Crow voter suppression.
Then ABC's Jonathan Karl showed him the numbers proving his own voters disagree.
Schiff's face – and his desperate excuse – revealed everything you need to know about Democrats' real election strategy.
ABC's Jonathan Karl Confronted Schiff With Pew Poll Numbers On This Week
Karl didn't ease into it.
He cited the August 2025 Pew Research poll showing 83% of Americans support requiring photo ID to vote.
Then came the part that had to sting.
Seventy-one percent of Democrats favor it too.
Karl asked Schiff point-blank if he could support something seven in ten of his own voters want.
Schiff Called Photo ID Requirements Voter Suppression Despite 83% Support
The California senator didn't pivot or reconsider.
He doubled down on the disenfranchisement talking point.
Schiff argued that requiring ID would suppress votes from people who don't have driver's licenses or Real ID.
He called it "another way to simply try to suppress the vote."
Even among racial demographics Democrats claim to protect, support is overwhelming.
Eighty-five percent of white Americans favor voter ID.
Eighty-two percent of Latinos support it.
Seventy-six percent of Black Americans back it.
CNN's Harry Enten laid out these numbers earlier this month, concluding voter ID "is not controversial in this country."
Democrats' Jim Crow 2.0 Claims About SAVE Act Fall Apart
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the SAVE Act "Jim Crow 2.0" during an appearance on MSNBC's Morning Joe.
He claimed women who changed their last names after marriage wouldn't be able to vote.
He insisted people without birth certificates would be discriminated against.
His conclusion was that Republicans want to "revive Jim Crow all over the country."
Here's what Schumer and Schiff won't tell you.
Actual Jim Crow laws were enacted by Democrats in the South to prevent Black Americans from voting through poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses.
The SAVE Act requires proof of citizenship – something 83% of Americans across all demographics support according to a 2024 Gallup poll.
You need ID to buy alcohol, board a plane, or pick up prescriptions.
In 26 out of 27 European Union countries, voter ID is standard practice.
Nobody calls it racist there.
Why Democrats Oppose SAVE Act Ahead Of 2026 Midterm Elections
Schiff's refusal to budge despite overwhelming bipartisan support reveals the actual game.
This isn't about protecting minority voters who Democrats insist can't obtain identification.
That argument insults the very people they claim to champion.
It suggests minorities are somehow less capable of getting a driver's license or state ID than white Americans.
The real issue is that Democrats built their election strategy around mail-in voting, same-day registration, and ballot harvesting.
Schiff admitted as much in his ABC interview, complaining Republicans are "trying to do away with absentee ballot voting" and DMV registration.
These are features Democrats depend on to maximize turnout among voters who might not show up otherwise.
Requiring ID – whether photo ID or proof of citizenship – makes that harder.
It means you can't just fill out a ballot for someone else.
It means dead people don't stay on voter rolls indefinitely.
It means illegal immigrants can't accidentally or intentionally register through DMV transactions in states offering them driver's licenses.
The SAVE Act would require registrants to appear in person with a passport or birth certificate.
Not a driver's license.
Not a utility bill.
Actual proof you're an American citizen.
Democrats call this disenfranchisement.
Schiff ignored poll numbers showing 71% of his own voters disagree.
That tells you who Democrats really represent – and it's not the 83% of Americans who want secure elections.
Sources:
- Hanna Panreck, "Adam Schiff confronted on polling showing overwhelming support for requiring photo ID to vote," Fox News, February 8, 2026.
- "CNN's Enten: 83% Favor Voter ID, It's Not Controversial," RealClearPolitics, February 3, 2026.
- "Most Americans Back Expanded Early Voting, Voting by Mail, Voter ID," Pew Research Center, August 22, 2025.
- "SAVE Act voter ID bill is on the minds of Trump and Congress: What to know," CNBC, February 6, 2026.