# NEW Stupid Republican Idea of the Day (Part 4) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 22, 2025, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678 "2025-02-22T21:08:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 259
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5161 "2026-07-21T19:51:35Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > It’s just Republican bullshit. They all say something similar. It’s to minimize the perception of requiring an ID. They’ll say that in lots of hypothetical situations so they can follow with: So why is voter ID such a weird thing? I’m sure most of us already know this, but… The difference with their proposed voter ID is that under their precious SAVE act the only valid ID’s to prove citizenship would be 1. a passport (which half of Americans don’t have) 2. an “enhanced driver’s license” (which is only available in 5 states sharing a border with Canada) 3. naturalization papers (which native-born citizens _don’t_ have) 4. birth certificate The gotcha, though, for #4 is that the name on the birth certificate MUST MATCH EXACTLY the name on your other ID like a regular or “RealID” driver’s license or state ID. This is, for the most part, not a problem for cishet men. It IS a problem for the vast majority of married women in the US whose current surname is different than the one on their driver’s license/state ID. Does that disenfranchise us entirely? Do we have to _also_ bring a marriage certificate? What? Olive Garden - or any other place that might sell alcohol - doesn’t want to see my birth certificate and couldn’t care less what’s on it. They want to see a current ID that shows my face and proves my current age, that’s it. The Repugnicans want a whole other level of “proof” and I can’t help but think this just happens to line up with preventing a lot of women and poor people from voting. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5162 "2026-07-21T19:52:00Z")
Exactly. You play the ball as it lies (almost always). It’s in a really bad spot? Tough shit. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5163 "2026-07-21T20:42:48Z")
Regarding the golfer who was penalized, what if your ball lands in the middle of a patch of tall grass. How can you hit the ball without trampling some of the grass in the process of getting to it? ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5164 "2026-07-21T20:43:05Z")
Does that link actually show the infraction? The only video I saw was of him arguing with the officials about what he did that caused, not the infraction itself. Not that it sounds like there is any doubt that he did indeed do it, but if the video of the incident itself exists I would like to see it. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5165 "2026-07-21T20:52:24Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > How can you hit the ball without trampling some of the grass in the process of getting to it? You can’t. But you can avoid trampling the grass along the path of your intended swing. In this particular case, it was pretty clear he trampled the grass along the path of his swing, making it much easier. Here’s a video of the infraction [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/MUMF-D-tbmw/maxresdefault.jpg "A look at the shot from Bryson DeChambeau that is currently under review for a 2-stroke penalty 👀") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUMF-D-tbmw) ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5166 "2026-07-21T20:56:39Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > Here’s a video of the infraction Thanks for that video. I agree, it was rather obvious that he was attempting to help himself. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5167 "2026-07-21T21:05:53Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > The gotcha, though, for #4 is that the name on the birth certificate MUST MATCH EXACTLY the name on your other ID like a regular or “RealID” driver’s license or state ID. This is, for the most part, not a problem for cishet men. > > It IS a problem for the vast majority of married women in the US whose current surname is different than the one on their driver’s license/state ID. Does that disenfranchise us entirely? Do we have to _also_ bring a marriage certificate? What? I’ve also heard that military IDs can be used under the Act, but student IDs can not. Can a more well-informed Doper confirm that or not? That would have some impact on who is allowed to vote. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5168 "2026-07-21T21:12:42Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > These folks have no guilt whatsoever. > > We need a short way to say “Greed is good, theft is better, and fraud is best.” The GOP. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5169 "2026-07-21T21:13:40Z")
GOP: Greedy Oligarchs Pilfering ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5170 "2026-07-21T21:20:47Z")
Another issue with the SAVE Act; it _seems_ targeted only at asking the voter to prove US citizenship but not that they are a resident of the voting district. Isn’t that a concern? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5171 "2026-07-21T21:27:41Z")
Nope. Once only the Right people can vote, the Fascists want them to vote early and often in as many districts as possible. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5172 "2026-07-21T22:00:21Z")
Thanks for that video, that makes it clear that he was pretty actively tromping down the grass right behind his ball. Guilty Guilty Guilty! ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5173 "2026-07-21T22:28:51Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Olive Garden - or any other place that might sell alcohol - doesn’t want to see my birth certificate and couldn’t care less what’s on it. They want to see a current ID that shows my face and proves my current age, that’s it. And they ONLY want to see that if you order alcohol. (Steve Scalise’s remarks implied that anyone walking in the door of an Olive Garden would be asked to show I.D.----as mentioned upthread, a common [and false] Republican claim about all sorts of places.) But as your post lays out, another big Republican lie is that the “SAVE” act is _ **only** _ about ‘showing ID to vote.’ That lie makes the SAVE act sound reasonable. As your post detailed, it’s anything but. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2026, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5174 "2026-07-21T22:54:27Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Thanks for that video, that makes it clear that he was pretty actively tromping down the grass right behind his ball. I hadn’t seen it before, just heard people talking about it. Seeing the video, I agree that it didn’t look “unintentional”. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5175 "2026-07-22T09:05:03Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I’ve also heard that military IDs can be used under the Act, but student IDs can not. Can a more well-informed Doper confirm that or not? > > That would have some impact on who is allowed to vote. A military ID is not proof of citizenship. You can be a non-citizen member of the US military and thereby obtain such an ID so… nope. There have been a number of speeches by high level Trump people that make it very clear that the list I have above are the only acceptable documents. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Another issue with the SAVE Act; it _seems_ targeted only at asking the voter to prove US citizenship but not that they are a resident of the voting district. Isn’t that a concern? Hmmm… the act of registering to vote requires proof of residency, at least it always has in every state I’ve lived in. You have to prove citizenship to register, and the SAVE act would require you to prove it again when you actually went to vote. A passport or enhanced ID are both supposed to have your current residence in them. The birth certificate doesn’t, but pretty sure that one would have to be paired with something else deemed acceptable. Also wondering about people already registered to vote, such as myself - will I have to re-register all over again under the SAVE act? Or will I be “grandfathered” in? Or left registered but required to show proof of citizenship when I go to vote? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5176 "2026-07-22T09:28:39Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > A passport or enhanced ID are both supposed to have your current residence in them. My passport doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5177 "2026-07-22T09:54:26Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > A passport or enhanced ID are both supposed to have your current residence in them. The passport application has a place for your address, if I recall correctly. There is absolutely no requirement whatsoever for that to be updated and it is not included in the actual passport book. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5178 "2026-07-22T12:18:17Z")
Right. There is a space for YOU to pencil in your address in the passport book but it’s not part of the officially issued documentation. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5179 "2026-07-22T12:21:03Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Also wondering about people already registered to vote, such as myself - will I have to re-register all over again under the SAVE act? Or will I be “grandfathered” in? Or left registered but required to show proof of citizenship when I go to vote? The semi-official propaganda I’ve seen insists that you won’t have to re-register. Of course, that means the 10s of millions(! /s) of already registered illegals won’t have to do it either, which would severely curtail the impact of the act. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/5180 "2026-07-22T13:02:39Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > A military ID is not proof of citizenship. You can be a non-citizen member of the US military and thereby obtain such an ID so… nope. The text of the law says, “The applicant’s official United States military identification card, together with a United States military record of service showing that the applicant’s place of birth was in the United States.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678.md?page=258) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678.md?page=260)