Overview
- During an ABC This Week interview on Sunday, Sen. Mark Warner said Virginia requires photo ID to vote and host Jonathan Karl immediately corrected him, noting Virginia does not mandate a photo ID.
- Virginia law lets voters present a range of acceptable documents or sign an ID Confirmation Statement under penalty of perjury to cast a regular ballot, and voters who do neither may cast a provisional ballot.
- The exchange came while Warner was criticizing the SAVE America Act, a House‑passed February bill that would require documentary proof of citizenship to register and government‑issued photo ID to vote and that has not cleared the Senate.
- Conservative outlets and Republican groups quickly amplified the on‑air correction to criticize Warner and frame Democratic opposition to the SAVE Act as out of step with public opinion.
- Polling cited in coverage shows strong public support for government‑issued photo ID (a 2025 Pew survey found roughly 83% overall), a fact Republicans are using to press their case while Senate action on the SAVE Act remains uncertain.