A coalition of 21 Republican Secretaries of State has formally requested that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) enhance its Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program to better prevent non-citizens from participating in U.S. elections.
The officials, led by Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen, addressed their concerns in a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. They emphasized the need for improvements in the SAVE program to effectively verify voter eligibility.
The Secretaries of State highlighted several key areas for improvement:
- Increasing Volume of Voter ID Checks: Currently, the SAVE program requires individual verification of each voter, a process deemed inefficient by the officials. They advocate for the ability to process multiple voter verifications simultaneously to enhance efficiency.
- Access to Essential Identifiers: The officials note that the current system limits access to critical identifying information, such as dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and driver’s license numbers. They argue that expanding access to these identifiers would improve the accuracy of citizenship verification.
- Reduce Cost for Users: The SAVE program imposes user fees and per-search charges, which the Secretaries of State consider financial obstacles for states aiming to secure their elections. They propose that DHS eliminate these costs to facilitate more comprehensive use of the program.
- Provision of Clear Federal Guidance: Ambiguities in current federal guidelines have reportedly hindered states’ efforts to utilize the SAVE program effectively. The officials are calling for explicit instructions from DHS to ensure proper and consistent application of the program across all states.
- Notification of States Regarding Naturalization Applicants: The letter also requests that DHS notify state election officials when non-citizens who have registered to vote apply for naturalization, particularly if they have admitted to voting. This measure aims to maintain the integrity of voter rolls by ensuring that only eligible citizens participate in elections.
The Secretaries of State from the following states co-signed the letter: Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
This initiative reflects ongoing efforts by state officials to collaborate with federal agencies in strengthening the integrity of the electoral process by ensuring that only eligible citizens are permitted to vote.
