DHS Tool Flags Voters As Noncitizens, Triggers State Pushback
SAVE expansion flagged roughly 4,200 people across seven states out of about 35 million registered voters and has produced persistent errors, prompting state and local officials to question its use.
Overview
In November, Boone County clerk Brianna Lennon said DHS's expanded SAVE flagged 74 county voters as potential noncitizens, and more than half later proved to be U.S. citizens, county records showed.
The tool was rapidly expanded after a March executive order directing DHS to give states free access to federal citizenship data and add Social Security Administration records, officials and documents show.
State and local election officials said the system has made persistent mistakes, with Missouri and Texas clerks raising alarms and Brian Broderick of USCIS acknowledging SAVE cannot always find current citizenship information.
At least seven states, covering about 35 million registered voters, have reported roughly 4,200 people identified as noncitizens, and 27 states have agreed to use SAVE, officials reported.
Officials in Missouri temporarily barred flagged voters before verifying SAVE results, and Texas sent counties lists in October directing clerks to seek proof of citizenship, leaving officials to decide next steps, state spokespeople said.
Analysis
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Sources (3)
FAQ
SAVE is the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program, a DHS system to check immigration databases for citizenship status. It was expanded after a March executive order to provide states free access to federal citizenship data, including Social Security Administration records, with bulk upload features announced by USCIS in May.
SAVE flagged roughly 4,200 people as potential noncitizens across seven states out of 35 million registered voters. In Boone County, Missouri, 74 were flagged, with more than half proven to be U.S. citizens; DHS corrected errors in at least five states.
SAVE struggles with current citizenship data for people born outside the U.S. who naturalized, as it relies on SSA data first and may not access updated DHS records like passports without specific identifiers; it lacks records for native-born citizens.
Missouri temporarily barred flagged voters pending verification; Texas sent counties lists to seek proof of citizenship. At least 27 states agreed to use SAVE, but officials in Missouri and Texas raised alarms over errors.
DHS is refining processes, gaining access to passport data, and working on searching internal records, with some improvements expected by March; USCIS advises additional verification for flagged cases.
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