Scott Presler, founder of Early Vote Action, delivered a pointed critique of Senate Republicans during a – News Saturday interview. He asserted that the Senate’s Republican majority is not acting swiftly enough on crucial election integrity laws, urging conservative voters to take initiative through primary elections, town hall meetings, voter registration, and grassroots mobilization to influence lawmakers.
In his conversation with – News Saturday host Bradley Jaye, Presler labeled it “very disingenuous” for any senator other than Mike Lee (R-UT), Rick Scott (R-FL), and a select few others to claim they are safeguarding elections. He cited instances where he believes there are illegal aliens on Pennsylvania’s voter rolls who are “actively registered” and voting. Presler warned, “We’re finding them in Michigan and Arizona.” He emphasized, “This is an existential crisis. This is a constitutional crisis.”
Presler highlighted a challenge Republicans face when rallying voter support, questioning how to convince the electorate to back a party that, according to him, controls all three branches of government but fails to fulfill its electoral promises. He asked, “How do I make the case as a conservative activist trying to drum up support for Republicans when, as the majority controlling all three branches of government, we are incapable of delivering the very campaign promises that elected the majority we have today?” Presler further questioned, “How do I make the case to elect Republicans when our Senate majority leadership won’t deliver what 84% of Americans want?”
Despite his critiques, Presler remains committed to his advocacy efforts. “I promise, I’m not going to stop. I’m going to continue,” he affirmed, noting that Early Vote Action will maintain its initiatives in Pennsylvania. He shared that Republicans are just “25,811 active voters from flipping the state,” and contended that “just because the Senate is derelict in its duties doesn’t mean that activists like myself are going to give up the responsibility.”
When questioned about the SAVE America Act, Presler explained that the bill focuses on two components: proof of citizenship and photo voter ID. He assured that current voters would not need to re-register but would be verified through the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, database.
Presler said the SAVE database is used in connection with HUD and government housing and asked why it should not also be used for voter registration. “Why are we not using the same database to ensure that only eligible, lawful American citizens are registered to vote, or for SNAP, or for other ‘quote unquote’ entitlements?” he said. Presler argued the system would help “clean the voter rolls” and “ensure that only Americans are voting in our elections.”
Presler said he believes part of the disconnect between Republican senators and voters is that lawmakers are isolated from public sentiment. “There is such a bubble in D.C. that these senators truly need to go out, touch grass, and talk to the voter,” he said. He predicted senators who return home after failing to act would “get a peaceful earful from the American people.”
He also argued that incumbent lawmakers can become too comfortable in office. “They feel invulnerable. They really do. They feel untouchable,” Pressler said, pointing to incumbent lawmakers who lost primary contests as evidence that voters can remove officeholders. “We need to do a better job of being active, engaged voters in our primaries,” he added.
Presler called on dissatisfied Republican donors to use their financial support as leverage, saying lawmakers “care about money and they care about power.” He encouraged listeners to seek WinRed refunds from senators they had donated to, while citing Rick Scott and Mike Lee as exceptions.
Looking ahead to 2028, Pressler singled out Sens. John Thune (R-SD), John Barrasso (R-WY), Tim Scott (R-SC), and James Lankford (R-OK) as senators he said activists should be prepared to challenge. “They need to know if you do not deliver what 84% of Americans want, we are coming for your seats peacefully,” Presler said, adding that activists should be prepared to “take you out” electorally as he said voters had done in Louisiana and Texas.
Presler said one of the most important actions voters can take is to approach their senators directly at town halls and other public events. “How many of you guys show up to town halls?” he asked. “When they’re at fairs and festivals, I want you to peacefully approach them. I want you to go up to them. Why haven’t you delivered for us?”
He rejected the argument that Democrats make election-integrity legislation impossible to pass, listing several procedural approaches he believes Republicans could pursue. “We can nuke the filibuster. We can do a talking filibuster. We can do budget reconciliation 3.0,” Presler said. “I just gave you three viable pathways to give us proof of citizenship and photo voter ID. It’s not good enough to blame the Democrats.”
Presler also argued that Republicans might already have a 60-vote Senate majority had election-integrity legislation been enacted years earlier. He pointed to Mike Rogers’ narrow 2024 loss, what he described as a narrow 2024 loss involving Tammy Baldwin’s Wisconsin seat, as well as losses in Arizona and Nevada, where he said Laxalt lost by 8,000 votes in 2022. “It is disingenuous for any Republican senator to say that we don’t have the votes when we could have the votes had we simply passed election integrity,” he said.
Presler cited figures concerning noncitizen voter registrations as evidence for his concerns, asserting that “6,600 non-citizens” were registered in New Jersey and that 400 voted, before invoking the 2000 presidential election. “Please look me up. Fact check me. Bush v. Gore was decided by 537 votes,” he said. Pressler further claimed there are “250,000 non-citizens on the voter rolls in California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Nevada.”
“This is a constitutional crisis,” Presler said. “This is the single most important issue the American people care about.” He urged listeners to “get angry peacefully,” attend events, make their voices heard, and tell senators that “you either deliver or we are going to get rid of you.”
Asked what citizens could do beyond attending town halls, Presler emphasized participation in Republican primaries. “I would ask the listener how many of you are registered to vote as a Republican for your primary,” he said, acknowledging that some conservatives may be “disenchanted” with the party but arguing that primary participation is necessary to influence which candidates reach the general election.
“Unless you are voting in primaries, you are allowing for the destruction of our country by not ensuring that we have the most conservative candidate, Senate choice, or member of Congress choice going into the November election,” Presler said. He also called for more voter-registration work, asserting that “30% of our beautiful Christians are not registered to vote” and that “42% of hunters in Pennsylvania” are not registered.
Presler argued that conservatives need to become more aggressive in organizing, while distinguishing that approach from adopting the political left’s ideology or policies. “We must become more like the left in terms of advocacy because they are running circles around us,” he said. Pressler added that he believes there is particular urgency to act while Republicans hold the majority, arguing that “our Senate is not giving the urgency that is required while we have the majority.”
Presler also detailed Early Vote Action’s efforts in Pennsylvania and encouraged – News Saturday listeners nationwide to participate. “I actually don’t even receive a dime from my organization,” he said, adding that he is “very proud” of that.
Presler promoted the Early Vote Action app for Android and iPhone, which he said allows supporters regardless of where they live to text inactive Republican voters in Pennsylvania and encourage them to update their registrations. “If you want to help me flip the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from blue to red, no matter what state you live in, you can help text inactive voters,” he said.
He asked supporters to send 20 messages per day through the app. “Give me one minute of your time pressing the text button 20 times over once a day using the Early Vote Action app,” Presler said. “That’s something that you can contribute.”
Presler said Early Vote Action also welcomes help from Pennsylvania and neighboring states, including Ohio and Maryland. “We’d love your help,” he said, adding that people from Ohio and Maryland have traveled to Pennsylvania to assist.
Presler said he is “all in” on helping Republicans retain Scott Perry, Ryan McKenzie, and Rob Bresnahan, whom he identified as three members of Congress in Pennsylvania needed to help Republicans keep the House for President Donald Trump and, in his words, “ensure that in 2028 we have the ability to win.” “That is how you can make a national impact, even from Oregon, Washington, California,” Presler said. “Download the Early Vote Action app. Send 20 text messages a day, please.”
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