The Trump administration has processed at least 67 million voter registrations through government databases to verify eligibility, a move critics warn could wrongly remove valid voters before the November elections. The effort, primarily targeting Republican-controlled states, uses the Department of Homeland Security's Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program, flagging tens of thousands as potential noncitizens or deceased. Some states allow only a month for individuals to prove eligibility, while others suspend registrations immediately.
Federalization of election functions
This scanning of state voter rolls at the national level is part of a broader push by President Donald Trump to federalize certain election functions and promote claims of widespread noncitizen voting, despite such instances being rare. Voting and civil rights advocates argue the SAVE system is error-prone and can mistakenly flag eligible voters.
"If a voter is wrongly removed, by the time they learn about it and correct it, they may miss their opportunity to vote in that election," said Freda Levenson, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, which is challenging an Ohio law requiring monthly checks with the DHS system.
Voters caught in the middle
Anthony Nel, a 29-year-old native of South Africa who became a citizen over a decade ago, was flagged as a potential noncitizen when Texas ran its voter file through SAVE. His local election office in Denton temporarily canceled his registration last fall while he waited for a new passport.
"I'm like, 'You should know that I'm a citizen, that the passport exists,'" he said in an interview.
States' entire voter rolls reviewed
Trump has sought to overhaul U.S. elections, including calling for a federal list of verified voters. The Justice Department has pushed states to hand over unredacted voter information for mass checks via SAVE, suing states that refuse. At least 25 states have used SAVE since April 2025, after the Trump administration expanded its search capabilities, checking 60 million registrations in a year. An additional 7.4 million registrations from North Carolina were recently run through the system.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said in a statement it is "committed to helping eliminate voter fraud." Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican, endorsed SAVE, saying it is "one of the most important tools states have to verify voter information."
Republican cite hits from SAVE searches
Citizenship and Immigration Services reported that the 60 million checks identified about 24,000 potential noncitizens and 350,000 people who appear to have died. North Carolina's State Board of Elections found another 34,000 potentially deceased voters. Even if all were verified as ineligible, they represent small percentages of total registrations.
Some voters have been mistakenly flagged. In Dallas, election officials canceled the registration of Domingo Garcia, a 68-year-old lawyer and voting rights activist, without explanation. He has voted regularly for 50 years and suspects officials concluded he was deceased.
False positives are popping up
Voting rights advocates have filed at least six federal lawsuits over SAVE checks. Nel is a plaintiff in one suit filed in the District of Columbia, alleging an "illegal and unprecedented quest" for Americans' confidential voter data. Lawyers argue eligible voters will be disenfranchised by outdated or incomplete data.
Nel came to the U.S. from South Africa at age 8, became a citizen at 16, and has voted regularly since 18. He received a letter in October telling him he had been identified as a potential noncitizen through a SAVE check of Texas' 18 million registrations. He had 30 days to prove otherwise but missed the deadline due to delays in getting a new passport.
"It's clear that this process that they've put into place for this doesn't work," he said.
Defenders say SAVE is a first step
Republican officials say SAVE searches are not foolproof but identify registrations needing further investigation. In Kansas, Schwab's office is still investigating flagged registrations. A new state law requires flagged registrations to be listed as "in suspense" until resolved, with ballots set aside for review.
Texas gives flagged individuals 30 days to prove eligibility. North Carolina requires a hearing before cancellation. A new Ohio law requires local election boards to "promptly" cancel registrations of noncitizens identified during monthly checks. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said voting rights are not in danger because "all they need to do to immediately restore their registration status is show proof of citizenship."
But Levenson described the approach as "shoot first and ask questions later."
