Connecticut just passed emergency legislation that tells you everything you need to know about Democratic priorities in 2025. If you want to cash in more than 1,000 cans or bottles in a day, you better have your driver’s license ready. But if you want to vote? Just promise you’re a citizen and we’ll take your word for it.

The absurdity writes itself, but let me spell it out anyway. State Democrats rushed through SB 299 this February like the building was on fire. Governor Ned Lamont signed it March 3rd. The reasoning was actually solid on paper. Non-residents were crossing state lines to exploit Connecticut’s generous 10-cent return rate instead of the nickel they’d get elsewhere. The state was hemorrhaging revenue. So they did what any reasonable government would do when facing fraud. They required identification.

You know what’s coming next.

Those same Connecticut Democrats, represented in the Senate by Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, just voted against advancing the SAVE Act. That’s the Republican bill requiring stricter photo ID for federal elections, including proof of citizenship when registering to vote. The contrast isn’t just ironic. It’s insulting.

Anna Pingel from the America First Policy Institute nailed it when she asked what matters more, bottles or ballots. The question answers itself, doesn’t it? Connecticut lawmakers apparently believe recycling centers need tighter security than polling places. They’ll verify your identity to protect dimes but not to protect democracy.

Blumenthal fired back with the standard talking points, calling the SAVE Act a voter purge bill because it would require a birth certificate or passport. He claims 21 million Americans don’t have those documents. Setting aside whether that number holds water, let’s talk about what we’re really discussing here. We’re talking about the most fundamental act in a republic. The thing that separates citizens from visitors, residents from transients, stakeholders from spectators.

Connecticut already figured this out for bottle returns. They understood that when money’s involved, verification matters. When people can game the system by crossing borders, you need proof of residency. When fraud costs the state real dollars, you require real documentation. The logic is airtight.

But apply that same reasoning to elections and suddenly you’re suppressing votes. Suddenly you’re purging rolls. Suddenly requiring the same ID you need to buy alcohol or board a plane becomes an unconscionable burden. The mental gymnastics required to hold both positions simultaneously would win Olympic gold.

This isn’t about access. Every state with voter ID laws includes provisions for free identification. This is about something deeper, something Democrats won’t say out loud. They’ve built their coalition partly on loose verification standards because tight ones might shrink their margins. They know it. We know it. Everyone knows it.

The bottle return situation proves they understand how verification works. When there’s a financial incentive to cheat, people will cheat. When borders are porous and enforcement is lax, people will exploit the gaps. Connecticut Democrats grasped this immediately when their redemption centers started losing money. They moved fast. Emergency certification. Rushed through both chambers. Signed within weeks.

But securing elections? That’s somehow different. That’s somehow racist or exclusionary or whatever term polls well with focus groups this month. Never mind that minorities support voter ID at rates that would shock most Democratic strategists. Never mind that every functioning democracy on earth requires some form of voter verification. Never mind common sense.

The hypocrisy isn’t subtle. It’s not even trying to hide anymore. Connecticut will photocopy your license to give you $100 in bottle returns but asking for that same document to participate in choosing the government is beyond the pale. The state will verify your identity to prevent nickel and dime fraud but not to prevent ballot fraud.

Republicans have been making this argument for years and getting called extremists for their trouble. But here’s Connecticut Democrats making the case for us. They proved they know how to stop fraud when they want to. They proved they understand verification requirements. They proved they can move legislation quickly when it matters to them.

They just don’t think your vote matters as much as their bottle deposits. And honestly, that should tell you everything you need to know about who’s really trying to protect what in American politics today.

Related: Why the Republican Push for Voter ID Just Hit a Wall of Political Reality