In her home state of Maine for the first time since officially announcing she is running for reelection in the November midterms, US Sen. Susan Collins has been explaining to local media outlets why she is supporting President Donald Trump's bill that would impose new restrictions on voter registration and could prevent tens of millions of Americans from casting ballots.
But Graham Platner, the progressive veteran and oyster farmer running in the Democratic primary, provided his own analysis of the Republican senator's planned vote.
"Susan Collins is never there to protect Mainers and she's never there to protect our democracy, but she is always there to help Donald Trump," said Platner in a video he posted to social media.
Collins announced her support for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE) Act days after it was narrowly passed in the US House.
If signed into law, the SAVE Act would require Americans to provide proof of US citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate, in person when they register to vote.
The proposal is part of the Trump administration's long-term effort to spread misinformation about noncitizens trying to vote in US elections—which is already illegal.
Collins on Monday suggested the SAVE Act would prevent fraud at the polls, telling News Center Maine that the bill "is important to ensure confidence in the results of our elections."
"There is no evidence that unauthorized immigrants, green-card holders, or immigrants on temporary visas are voting in significant numbers, despite some claims that 'millions' of noncitizens are voting in US elections," according to the Migration Policy Institute. "In fact, audits by election officials and numerous studies reflect that voter fraud by noncitizens is extremely rare."
Instead of stopping noncitizens from engaging in fraudulent voting, the Brennan Center for Justice warned last week, the SAVE Act is projected to stop an estimated 21 million citizens from casting ballots lawfully.
That's the number of Americans who don't have ready access to the documents they would need to register, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
"Half of all Americans don’t have a passport, for example, and millions of married women who have changed their names might need to jump through extra hoops to vote," said the group.
Collins insisted in an interview with ABC News affiliate WMTW that showing proof of citizenship one time when registering would not be "burdensome," and said she would not support the SAVE Act if it required showing a passport or birth certificate every time a person voted.
But Platner emphasized that "under this terrible bill, if you get married and change your name, or if you can't find your passport—you could be turned away from the polls."
"Susan Collins wants to make it harder to vote," he said.
Collins' own constituents overwhelmingly rejected a state proposal to require a photo ID to vote, with 64% of Mainers voting against the referendum in November.
Platner, who has been leading Democratic Gov. Janet Mills in numerous polls as well as in small-dollar fundraising in recent months ahead of the June 9 primary, pointed to Collins' history of portraying herself as an independent-minded moderate Republican while joining the president in supporting some of his most consequential political moves, such as the appointment of right-wing Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
"In classic Susan Collins fashion," said Platner, "she is yet again showing up for Donald Trump when he needs her most."
The SAVE Act has little chance of passing in the Senate, as it needs support from 60 senators to advance to a final vote. Collins was the 50th Republican to back the SAVE Act in the Senate.
