[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 24 (Tuesday, February 3, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S452-S453]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                               Elections

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I know the midterm elections aren't until 
November 2026, but there have been some surprising results recently in 
some of the special elections that have been held around the country, 
most recently in a State senate seat in Texas, over the weekend.
  Taylor Rehmet, a Democrat, won handily in a district won by President 
Trump by 17 points, in 2024. Some people are calling this a warning 
sign to Republicans, suggesting that support for the GOP is waning in 
Texas.
  Even the New York Times--maybe I should say, especially the New York 
Times--is trying to sound the death knell for the GOP, describing the 
race as an ``upset'' that has ``rattled Republicans.''
  Of course, our Democratic friends and the mainstream media will take 
any opportunity they can to paint President Trump and Republicans in a 
bad light, in an effort to raise expectations for their own electoral 
success at the ballot box. But there is something more going on here 
that does not just affect Republicans but, literally, all Americans, 
and we should all find this development alarming.
  What is so alarming, may you ask? Well, it is people sitting on the 
couch and not voting, not participating in the process of self-
government.
  This particular special election in Texas that surprised so many was 
decided by 15 percent of registered voters. That is less than 95,000 
people in a district of over 600,000 eligible voters.
  Unfortunately, this is not an isolated event. It has happened, time 
and time again, around the country.
  Over in Houston, another special election was held to fill the House 
seat of the late Sylvester Turner, in the 18th District, and it 
demonstrated a similar anemic turnout. Christian Menefee won this seat 
with only 5.6 percent of registered voters--5.6 percent. Of course, 
when such a small group of people have such a disproportionate voice in 
the outcome of an election, they essentially are choosing their 
candidate, who may or may not be the candidate that would be supported 
by a broad coalition of registered voters if they had simply decided to 
participate.
  In this case, the winning Democratic candidate in District 18 is--
this was a solid blue district. But even though the results may not be 
shocking, the small proportion of voters who actually participated in 
the election should be.
  This is not just a warning sign to Republicans. This is a warning 
sign to us all. When too many people sit on the sidelines, the 
consequences are election results that are not actually representative 
of the people who are being governed by these officials.
  Well, some folks may say: Well, it is just a small election, and it 
doesn't really matter. Or I only vote when it really matters, and that 
is for President of the United States.
  But the truth is every Federal, State, and local election matters. It 
matters because it affects every aspect of our daily lives: your work, 
how much you get to take home in your paycheck, what your kids are 
taught in school, and on and on and on.
  We are blessed to live in what is called a democratic republic. It is 
not a pure democracy, and it is not a pure republic. But our government 
derives its powers from the consent of the government. The primary 
mechanism by which self-government actually works is through elections, 
and it is shocking to see so few people participating in our elections.
  If Americans don't turn out to vote, including in special and midterm 
elections, then we are essentially forfeiting or giving up our right to 
a voice in self-government.

[[Page S453]]

  Make no mistake, our Democrat colleagues have a well-organized ground 
game, and they will stop at nothing to undermine the gains we have seen 
just in a single year, since President Trump came into office. That is 
the way our system works.
  To top it off, Democrats have built a nationwide lobby to support 
their efforts, otherwise known as the mainstream media. But this brings 
me to another problem that undermines our system of self-government, 
which is that it is too easy for people who can't legally vote to cast 
a ballot--in other words, voter fraud.
  When a ballot is cast by someone that is not qualified to vote in an 
election, it undermines the integrity of the ballot for the people who 
are qualified to vote--for example, an illegal alien. Illegal aliens, 
noncitizens are technically barred from registering to vote, but in 
some States, people are not even required to show proof of citizenship 
at the time of registration.
  Every time we talk about voter ID, the left says we are trying to 
disenfranchise minorities and the underrepresented, but that is not 
consistent with the facts. In Texas, where voter ID is required, you 
don't have to have a driver's license. You can get a government-issued 
identification at no cost.
  Democrats know that if you actually require people to show that they 
are qualified to vote, their voter base will shrink, especially in 
sanctuary States that have been havens for illegal aliens for years.
  Not a single person in this country, I think, truly believes that you 
cannot get a valid identification if you are a U.S. citizen.
  Again, this used to be a bipartisan consensus.
  You need identification to buy a car, to buy a phone, to get on an 
airplane, to open a bank account, to cash a check. So I find it hard to 
believe that any rational person would object to requiring a person to 
show that they are a citizen to vote in elections that are meant to 
represent all of us at all levels of government.
  With the dramatic rise in mail-in voting that happened during COVID-
19, many Americans had concerns about this particular method of voting 
and that it might be abused. But if the truth be told, it was, but you 
don't hear much about the convictions across the country against those 
who committed voter fraud.

  After all, if the ballot is mailed to the wrong address, there is not 
much stopping the wrong person from filling it out, pretending to be 
someone they are not, forging a signature, and dropping it in the mail. 
It is pretty easy. It is too easy.
  Nor is there anything to stop ballot harvesting, which is actually 
legal in some States, and collection by ``well-meaning'' organizations 
and individuals who are just trying to ``help out their fellow 
citizens.''
  Well, this is a very disturbing pattern. I believe the American 
people deserve better than to have their concerns about election 
security swept under the rug.
  I want to commend my friends, the leadership in the State of Texas--
the legislature, the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, and the 
speaker--for taking this issue seriously and working hard to make sure 
that mail-in voting is secure.
  But, unlike Texas, many blue States are, unfortunately, not doing 
their part to make sure only legally qualified voters can cast a 
ballot. So I am thankful to our colleague Senator Mike Lee of Utah for 
introducing the SAVE America Act, which will require proof of 
citizenship at the time of registration, as well as photo 
identification at the time of voting.
  It doesn't seem like a big burden for voters to be able to show that 
they are qualified to vote and that they are who they say they are 
through voter ID.
  I am a proud cosponsor of the SAVE America Act, which I believe is 
long overdue, to strengthen the integrity of our election systems. If 
you think about it, all of us have a stake in this battle, whether we 
live in a red State or a blue State--particularly in Federal 
elections--because for every unqualified voter who casts a ballot, it 
undermines or dilutes the vote of those of us who are legally qualified 
to vote. So I hope the U.S. Senate will take up and pass this 
legislation, and I and others have been discussing it with the majority 
leader.
  But something much simpler that each and every one of us can do that 
will strengthen our system of representative government is to get to 
the polls and vote.
  Now, in Texas, the primary is on March 3, coming up here very soon. 
We start early voting on February 17. So there is a lot of time, a lot 
of opportunity for people to cast their ballot and to participate in 
their primary, whether it is on the Democratic side or the Republican 
side.
  I know voting is voluntary, but if you think about what is good for 
our country and what is good for representative democracy, you would 
agree with me that voter participation is far below what it should be.
  If you walk out the doors of this Chamber and down the hall into the 
Capitol Rotunda, you will see a famous painting by John Trumbull, the 
Declaration of Independence. This painting depicts our Founding Fathers 
gathered around to sign the monumental document that would set the 
United States apart on a new course in history.
  Thomas Jefferson, of course, wrote in the Declaration of Independence 
that governments derive ``their just Powers from the Consent of the 
Governed.'' Those who signed risked their very lives because, by doing 
so, they were committing an act of treason against Great Britain, at 
the time.
  This year, of course, we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the 
signing of the Declaration of Independence. So it is worth reflecting, 
once again, not only on the principles of self-government that our 
country was founded on but also the sacrifices made by our Founders and 
others to protect those rights.
  If these men and women, over time, in the armed services and 
elsewhere, were willing to risk their lives in order to secure 
representation, surely each and every one of us ought to do our part to 
participate in self-government by exercising our right to vote that so 
many have fought and died for.
  I urge each and every one of my constituents in Texas, but I would 
like to speak to all 330 million Americans: Please participate in your 
elections. Ours happens to be one of the earliest this midterm election 
season on March 3.
  We all need to appreciate the privilege of self-government. So just 
don't sit at home and complain or yell at the TV set about what is 
happening. Make a difference. Let your voice be heard. Participate in 
this incredible experiment now we have had for 250 years in self-
government that has served us so well.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia.