The Trump administration has scrutinized at least 67 million voter registrations using the federal SAVE program—Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements—operated by the Department of Homeland Security. This extensive effort aims to verify voter citizenship ahead of the November 2026 elections, as reported by the Associated Press on Sunday.
Since April 2025, at least 25 states—primarily those under Republican control—have been involved in the program, which saw a significant expansion of its search capabilities by the administration.
Of the 60 million records reviewed over the past year, the system flagged around 24,000 individuals as potential non-citizens.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon revealed on Fox News that the verifications also identified approximately 350,000 individuals who appear to be deceased.
In addition, North Carolina reviewed 7.4 million records, identifying an extra 34,000 potentially deceased voters. This brings the total number of possible deceased individuals in the 67 million records to about 384,000, representing a fraction of 1% of the total records.
The identified non-citizens amount to roughly 400 for every million records verified, a ratio critics argue highlights how extremely rare non-citizen voting is.
Yet, civil rights advocates emphasize that the core issue is not the extent of fraud uncovered, but the system's inaccuracies.
Instances like that of Anthony Nel, a 29-year-old naturalized citizen from South Africa, underscore these risks. Nel's registration was temporarily canceled in Texas after being mistakenly flagged as a potential non-citizen, despite having arrived in the U.S. at age eight and becoming a citizen at 16.
“Clearly, the process they’ve implemented for this isn’t working,” stated Nel, who is a plaintiff in one of at least six federal lawsuits challenging the SAVE program or states that utilize it.
In Dallas, 68-year-old electoral rights lawyer and activist Domingo García saw his registration canceled without explanation, despite 50 years of voting history and participation in the March 3 primaries.
“I shouldn’t have been on any list,” García asserted.
The SAVE program, originally designed to prevent non-citizens from accessing government benefits, is currently used by over 1,300 agencies.
Its expansion into the electoral domain is part of Trump’s broader initiative to federalize certain electoral functions, formalized through Executive Order 14399, signed on March 31. This order mandates the Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration to create state lists of verified citizens at least 60 days before each federal election.
Florida aligned with this strategy by enacting the "Florida SAVE Act," signed by Governor Ron DeSantis on April 2, which mandates proof of citizenship for voter registration.
The state will also incorporate immigration status in its electoral verification processes.
The Department of Justice has filed lawsuits against states refusing to hand over unredacted voter lists, but courts have dismissed several of these cases, including one against Massachusetts dismissed last Thursday by Judge Leo Sorokin for lack of adequate explanation by the government regarding the basis and purpose of its request.
Freda Levenson, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, encapsulated the critical stance: “Shoot first and ask questions later.”
“If a voter is wrongfully removed, by the time they find out and correct it, they may have already missed their chance to vote in that election,” warned Levenson, whose organization is challenging an Ohio law mandating monthly verifications using the SAVE system.
Understanding the Implications of the SAVE Program
What is the SAVE program?
The SAVE program is a federal initiative designed to verify the immigration status of individuals to ensure they are eligible for public benefits. It has been expanded to include verifying citizenship status for voter registrations.
Why is the SAVE program controversial in voter registration?
The controversy stems from the program's inaccuracies and the potential for wrongful disenfranchisement of eligible voters, particularly citizens who are mistakenly flagged as non-citizens.
How many states are participating in the SAVE program for voter verification?
At least 25 states, primarily Republican-controlled, have participated in the SAVE program since its capabilities were expanded in 2025.