MS NOW Falsely Says ‘Original’ Birth Certificate Needed to Vote Under SAVE Act

Nicholas Spinnato
March 24th, 2026 4:02 PM

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Tuesday’s Morning Joe led with lies about the SAVE America Act, as host Joe Scarborough insisted the legislation required everyone, including his co-host, and wife, Mika Brzezinski to present their original birth certificate from their hospital of birth in order to register to vote.

That’s false. In the legislation, voters would need a passport or birth certificate to register. One can find ways to buy birth certificates from their local government offices. For example, a simple internet search for birth certificates in a person’s county will bring up links, like this from Fairfax, VA, and give options to obtaining a copy of a birth certificate.

The topic came up in an opening discussion on the SAVE ACT. Scarborough referenced Brzezinski not knowing where she was born since her mother, apparently, did not remember:

 

 

SCARBOROUGH: Do you know where your original birth certificate is?

BRZEZINSKI: Well, actually I do. Yes.

SCARBOROUGH: Oh, good.

BRZEZINSKI: The original?

SCARBOROUGH: Yeah. Well, they're going to kick you off the voter rolls if you don't have it.

Scarborough, Brzezinski, and other co-host Willie Geist then went into a long back and forth on how Brzezinski’s mother didn't know where she was born. Scarborough then made his big SAVE Act connection again:

See, but here's a great - you know, not only does Mika not know where her original birth certificate is, which under the SAVE Act would get her kicked off the voter rolls, and then she'd have to come back and reregister, and she would find out on election day that she could not vote. And by the way, don't be skeptical. Seriously, she had no idea where she was born. She still doesn't.

He went on for more and said the “Trump act will kick people off the voter rolls. I have to go back and they will have to find an original birth certificate or buy a passport, which a lot of people can't even afford groceries now. And so it's very deliberate attempt to keep people off the rolls, you know.”

Scarborough finished that point and stated he supported government issued photo voter ID, but not the SAVE Act.

Maybe Scarborough should read up on the SAVE America Act and not spread lies about the need for an ‘original’ birth certificate.

 

 

To bring it all the way back, Brzezinski brought up ICE in airports, made fun of them, and then opined that she didn't want them looking through her bag:

And ICE agents are milling around with masks off, which is not good for them since people are taking their pictures. taking their pictures. They don't like that. I mean, it's just awkward. Anyhow, I still don't know what they're doing there. Like what's the function? Are they scanning our bags? I wouldn't want that (...).

Scarborough, as any person would do, then asked “What’s in your bag.”

And to end it off, Brzezinski said, “ICE agents are trained for nothing!”

The combination of ICE hatred and SAVE Act derangement is seemingly just what liberal viewers need at 6 a.m. in the morning.

The transcript is below. Click "expand":

MS NOW’s Morning Joe

March 24, 2026

6:01:08 AM Eastern

(...)

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Okay, but on capitol hill, there could be a deal to fund the department of homeland security before congress leaves town for a two week recess. That's despite president trump again yesterday telling Republicans any funding for the agency has to be tied to the save America Act. We'll dig into all of that.

JOE SCARBOROUGH: We can dig as long as we want. That's just not going to happen.

BRZEZINSKI: Okay. There's that. Meanwhile, here in New York -

SCARBOROUGH: I mean, I'm just saying - I'm not even - That's just a fact. You ask John Thune and other republicans, they'll just say, that's just not going to happen.

BRZEZINSKI: Well, he's hoping for it.

SCARBOROUGH: Do you know where your original birth certificate is?

BRZEZINSKI: Well, actually I do. Yes.

SCARBOROUGH: Oh, good.

BRZEZINSKI: The original?

SCARBOROUGH: Yeah. Well, they're going to kick you off the voter rolls if you don't have it.

BRZEZINSKI: My mom doesn’t remember where I was born. So its not like ,-

SCARBOROUGH: You know Willie, seriously, for most of Mika’s life she's not known -

BRZEZINSKI: New York or Washington

SCARBOROUGH: - where she was born. I said -

WILLIE GEIST: Where you were born?

SCARBOROUGH: - where were you born. Her mom’s like, “I don't - you know it. It was the 60s.”

BRZEZINSKI: New York, Washington

GEIST: You still don’t know.

BRZEZINSKI: Well, I think I did a deep dive into this [inaudible] and now I can't remember. So - like mother like daughter

SCARBOROUGH: I think she ended up being born in Manhattan. But -

BRZEZINSKI: Was it Manhattan?

GEIST: She ended up being born in Manhattan.

SCARBOROUGH: It might of been Jersey.

GEIST: Started somewhere else

BRZEZINSKI: I think they they were living in Georgetown.

SCARBOROUGH: You guys were living in the swamps of Jersey. Might of been Georgetown. 

See, but here's a great - you know, not only does Mika not know where her original birth certificate is, which under the SAVE Act would get her kicked off the voter rolls, and then she'd have to come back and reregister, and she would find out on election day that she could not vote. And by the way, don't be skeptical. Seriously, she had no idea where she was born. She still doesn't.

BRZEZINSKI: Okay, but that's not the story. This - 

GEIST: Does your mom know? Sorry, yeah.

SCARBOROUGH: She never really knew she. It was the 60s, but she was an artist. Yeah. I mean, come on.

HAGAR CHEMALI: But you didn't change your last name, so that'll help you.

BRZEZINSKI: Yeah, exactly. Okay. All right.

SCARBOROUGH: So anyway, so but they're really saying this Trump Act will kick people off the voter rolls. I have to go back and they will have to find an original birth certificate or buy a passport, which a lot of people can't even afford groceries now. And so it's very deliberate attempt to keep people off the rolls, you know.

BRZEZINSKI: Republican or Democrat.

SCARBOROUGH: By the way, I've always said voter id, that's fine. Driver's license or another government issued deal. Or if the voter registration office wants to get, you know, let people get -  that's even better because then you're giving people who don't have a photo id, government issued photo ID. But this thing is crazy and it's never going to pass what they're talking about.

GEIST: And the way the president and others are trying to sell it is this is just a voter OD bill. All you have to do is have a picture ID and that's all we're asking. That's not true.

SCARBOROUGH: That’s not true.

GEIST: There's much, much more in there, restrictions on mail, in voting and what you're talking about here, these things that are buried in, they want you to think it's just voter ID. It is not. There are other restrictions on voting that go deep within this. And also meanwhile, the president is lumping all this other stuff into the bill about trans athletes and everything else.

SCARBOROUGH: (Laughs)

GEIST: Catch all, omnibus thing.

SCARBOROUGH: It's not going to work -

BRZEZINSKI: Okay, meanwhile, here in New York -

SCARBOROUGH: - and republicans know it's not going to work and chaos in the airport keeps on getting worse. The TSA agents work for free right now.

BRZEZINSKI: And ICE agents are milling around with masks off, which is not good for them since people are taking their pictures. taking their pictures. They don't like that. I mean, it's just awkward. Anyhow, I still don't know what they're doing there. Like what's the function? Are they scanning our bags? I wouldn't want that. Okay -

SCARBOROUGH: What’s in your bag.

BRZEZINSKI: Well, I just - no. I just - they don't appear to be very good at their jobs

SCARBOROUGH: (Laughs) She walked right into it. I mean my bag, open it up man

BRZEZINSKI: No, I wouldn't want them scanning bags.

SCARBOROUGH: Bunch of chewing gum and baseball cards.

BRZEZINSKI: I want TSA agents scanning bags! They’re trained for that job.

SCARBOROUGH: Alright meanwhile here in New York - 

BRZEZINSKI: ICE agents are trained for nothing!

(...)

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