GOP Rep. Malliotakis Slams NYC Officials on Voter ID ‘Hypocrisy’
Representative Nicole Malliotakis, the sole Republican in New York City’s congressional delegation, has sharply criticized Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Senator Chuck Schumer, accusing them of a profound “hypocrisy” regarding voter identification laws. Malliotakis contends that these Democratic officials are failing to represent their constituents by opposing measures that would require voters to show identification at the polls.
Accusations of Double Standards on Voter ID
In an interview, Malliotakis articulated her frustration, stating, “I think the Democrats are showing the two sides that they have.” She elaborated on this point, suggesting a disconnect between the officials’ public statements and their legislative actions. “They go to their district, they tell their constituents that they support voter ID, and then they turn around to go to Washington and vote against it,” she observed.
Malliotakis is advocating for the passage of the Safeguard America’s Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, a legislative proposal championed by former President Donald Trump. This bill mandates that individuals prove their U.S. citizenship before casting a ballot. “If you want people to be confident in the outcome of the election, then we need to pass the Save America Act. We need to require voter ID,” Malliotakis asserted. She further emphasized broad public support for such measures, claiming, “Over 80% of America wants it.”
The congresswoman pointedly stated that the opposition to voter ID laws appears confined to a segment of the Democratic party in Congress, arguing that they are out of step with the desires of their constituents. “The only people that don’t seem to want it are the Democrats who are in Congress right now and they’re not representing the people of their districts who are overwhelmingly saying they want it,” she said. Malliotakis stressed that support for voter ID transcends political affiliation and racial lines, asserting, “Regardless of political affiliation, regardless of race, they are saying that they want a voter ID and the Senate Democrats should vote for it.” She concluded this line of reasoning by stating, “Let’s make sure that we show America that we’re taking the integrity of our elections seriously. And voter ID is really the most common-sense step that we should be taking as a body.”
Schumer and Mamdani in the Crosshairs
Malliotakis specifically targeted Senator Schumer, holding him responsible for obstructing the SAVE Act in the Senate. “We’ve passed it out of the House now four times and is up to the Senate to get the job done,” she noted. She reiterated her accusation of hypocrisy against senators, stating, “These Senators keep going to their district saying that they support the SAVE America act, or at least they’re telling their constituents that they support voter ID, and then they go to Washington and they vote against it, and so citizens need to hold those senators accountable.”
Turning her attention to Mayor Mamdani, Malliotakis highlighted what she perceives as a stark contradiction in his approach to identification requirements. “Sadly, you see the hypocrisy when you see programs like Mayor Mamdani wanting to require photo ID to utilize a government-run supermarket or when he wanted you to use a photo ID, not just one, but multiple IDs for a snow shoveling program,” she explained.
Malliotakis drew a sharp contrast between these everyday identification demands and the resistance to voter ID. “This is the hypocrisy we’re seeing where things like that for everyday activities, they want ID, but when it comes to voting, the most important thing you do as a United States citizen is vote in your elections and elect your representatives, they don’t want any type of accountability, any type a transparency or any type of requirement for voter identification to prove who you are, that you’re eligible to vote, that you actually reside in the district in which you’re voting and that you are an American citizen,” she argued.
Local Backlash and Political Divide
The congresswoman also referenced a recent incident in her Staten Island district where Mayor Mamdani reportedly faced a hostile reception at a community event. “This was an event for National Night Out Against Crime. It was in support of our law enforcement and the NYPD,” Malliotakis said. She connected Mamdani’s past advocacy for police reform to the negative reaction, stating, “Mamdani, in his career as a state assembly member, led the fight for the defund the police movement. And my constituents have not forgotten that.”
According to Malliotakis, the constituents’ reaction at the event was twofold: a rebuke of Mamdani’s perceived hypocrisy and a rejection of his political platform. “So number one, they were calling him out on his hypocrisy. But number two, they are making very clear they do not support his communist agenda and my borough of Staten Island is the only borough in the five boroughs of New York City that did not vote for Zohran Mamdani,” she concluded.
Representatives for Mayor Mamdani and Senator Schumer were contacted for comment regarding these accusations.
