When my old reliable utility knife disappeared from my workbench, and I went to the hardware store to buy a new one, the checkout clerk asked for a photo ID. The store’s policy was inflexible; if I wanted to buy something with a blade that could potentially be used as a weapon, I had to prove that I was over 18. Gray hair (where available on a bald pate) was not sufficient proof; only a government-issued ID would do.

That encounter came to mind when I read that Senator Chuck Schumer referred to the SAVE Act, which would require ID for voting, as “a voter suppression bill.” Do you suppose the hardware store was trying to suppress sales of utility knives? Of course not! The ID requirement was intends as a safety measure (a silly one, but that’s another matter). The SAVE Act is indeed intended to suppress illegal voting, but Schumer is not likely to use that adjective.

In any case Schumer’s Democratic-party colleague, Senator Chris Murphy, goes considerably further when he says that passage of the SAVE Act would bring about “the end of our democracy.” Because citizens would be unable to vote? No; because non-citizens would be unable to vote.

And by the way, if the American people were allowed to vote on the SAVE Act, polls consistently show that they would give it their overwhelming support. Which is why Democratic party leaders are doing their utmost to prevent a recorded vote on the issue, because they are opposed to the bill, and don’t want their constituents to know it. You might say their current posture is based on a voter-suppression strategy.