Controversy Surrounds Voter Registration Verification in Republican States

Officials from the Democratic party are challenging efforts in court as the Trump administration scrutinizes millions of voter registrations through government databases, assessing their eligibility. Concerns have emerged about the possibility of valid voters being removed from voting lists before the upcoming elections.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has conducted checks on at least 67 million registrations, primarily from states with Republican leadership. These checks have identified tens of thousands as potential noncitizens or deceased individuals. Some states allow only a short period for individuals to prove their eligibility, while others suspend registration immediately.

This national-level review is part of President Donald Trump’s initiative to centralize certain election functions, emphasizing the risk of fraudulent voting by noncitizens, despite such instances being rare. Voting and civil rights advocates argue the DHS system is prone to errors that can misidentify eligible voters. Freda Levenson, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, warns that a wrong removal could prevent a voter from participating in an election.

A tangible example is Anthony Nel, a 29-year-old South African native who became a U.S. citizen over ten years ago. He was mistakenly flagged as a noncitizen when Texas ran DHS checks on voter files, leading to a temporary cancellation of his registration amid passport renewal. Nel recounted, “You should know that I’m a citizen, that the passport exists.”

Despite resistance, Trump is pursuing changes to U.S. elections, including advocating for a federal list of verified voters. The Department of Justice has demanded states provide unredacted voter information for mass checks through the DHS program, known as SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements). The Justice Department has sued states that refuse, aiming to verify compliance with federal laws and ensure accurate voter lists.

Originally designed to prevent noncitizens from accessing government benefits, SAVE has been expanded to verify voter eligibility. Since April 2025, at least 25 states have utilized SAVE, checking 60 million registrations within a year, plus an additional 7.4 million in North Carolina. Citizenship and Immigration Services maintains its commitment to eliminating voter fraud and restoring election integrity.

“SAVE is a crucial tool for states to verify voter information,” affirmed Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, despite previous skepticism about noncitizens posing a significant fraud risk.

According to Citizenship and Immigration Services, 60 million registration checks revealed approximately 24,000 potential noncitizens. U.S. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon noted these checks also uncovered around 350,000 possible deceased registrants. North Carolina identified another 34,000 potentially deceased voters.

Though such findings represent minor percentages of overall registrants, errors continue to arise. Dallas election officials, for instance, mistakenly canceled the registration of Domingo Garcia, a 68-year-old lawyer and voting rights advocate, who has voted regularly for decades.

Several lawsuits have been filed against the administration or states using SAVE, contending that efforts to mass verify registration data could disenfranchise eligible voters due to outdated or incomplete data. Nel, a plaintiff, criticizes the process as ineffective following his experience.

Republican officials defend SAVE as a preliminary measure for further investigation, not foolproof identification. Kansas continues to review flagged registrations, with future steps required to resolve suspenses or pendings as imposed by state law.

Texas offers flagged individuals 30 days to verify registration status, while North Carolina plans hearings for challenged registrations prior to cancellation. Ohio mandates prompt cancellation of noncitizen registrations identified by the Secretary of State, emphasizing that voter rights remain intact by simply proving citizenship.

Despite these provisions, Levenson highlights concerns, depicting these approaches as akin to “shoot first and ask questions later.”