The Trump administration has processed millions of voter registrations through government databases to check their eligibility. Critics argue this process might wrongly remove legitimate voters before the November elections.
About 67 million registrations, mostly from states run by Republicans, have passed through an upgraded verification system at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Thousands have been flagged as possible noncitizens or deceased individuals. Some states allow a limited time for individuals to prove their eligibility, while others may suspend registrations immediately.
This verification at a national level is part of a broader strategy by President Donald Trump to centralize certain electoral functions. Trump has emphasized the message that elections are affected by noncitizen voting, despite such instances being rare. Voting rights advocates claim the DHS system is prone to errors and can mistakenly mark eligible voters as ineligible.
“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.
The ACLU is contesting an Ohio law that mandates monthly checks with the DHS system. Affected voters like Anthony Nel, a 29-year-old South African native who became a U.S. citizen over ten years ago, have faced issues. Texas flagged Nel as a potential noncitizen during a check of its voter files, temporarily canceling his registration while he awaited a new passport.
The Trump administration has sought to reform U.S. elections by advocating for a federal verified voter list. The Department of Justice has pressured states to provide unredacted voter information for checks through the DHS program, known as SAVE. While some states comply, others face lawsuits for refusal, with the government emphasizing adherence to federal law for accurate voter lists.
SAVE, or Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, was initially established to prevent government benefits from reaching noncitizens. More than 1,300 agencies use SAVE, with over 25 states having employed it to review voter rolls since 2025. Of these, about 60 million registrations were checked in a year, plus an additional 7.4 million from North Carolina. Citizenship and Immigration Services highlights its commitment to eliminating voter fraud to restore trust in elections.
Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab endorsed SAVE, despite past skepticism about noncitizens being a significant threat to voter fraud. Citizenship and Immigration Services reported finding 24,000 potential noncitizens from 60 million checks, while 350,000 deceased individuals were identified. North Carolina found another 34,000 potentially deceased voters. However, even if all flagged individuals were confirmed ineligible, they would constitute a small fraction of total registered voters.
In some cases, errors occur. Dallas officials canceled long-time voter Domingo Garcia’s registration without explanation, suspecting he was deceased. Voting rights advocates have filed federal lawsuits challenging SAVE checks, including against the Justice Department. These lawsuits argue the administration seeks confidential voter data, risking disenfranchisement due to outdated information.
Despite potential errors, Republicans argue that the SAVE system serves as an initial step in verification. Different states follow varied approaches. Kansas, for instance, lists registrations as “in suspense” when flagged until resolved. Texas provides a 30-day window for those flagged to prove registration eligibility. Ohio recently enacted laws for swift cancellation of flagged registrations, but provides an opportunity to restore rights upon proof of citizenship.
Freda Levenson from the ACLU criticized the approach as “shoot first and ask questions later,” indicating a cautious stance toward the verification process.