UPDATE: The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) new voter citizenship verification tool is facing backlash for incorrectly flagging thousands of eligible voters as noncitizens. This urgent development raises significant concerns about election integrity just ahead of critical midterm elections.
County clerks, like Brianna Lennon from Boone County, Missouri, are alarmed after receiving notifications in November indicating that 74 voters in her county were identified as potential noncitizens. Lennon, with seven years of election experience, found that over half of these flagged individuals were indeed U.S. citizens. This alarming accuracy issue stems from the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) tool, which has been expanded rapidly under former President Donald Trump’s administration.
The tool, initially designed to assess immigrants’ eligibility for public benefits, has been repurposed to verify voter citizenship across the nation. However, reports reveal that many states, including Texas and Missouri, have rushed to implement SAVE without ensuring its reliability, leading to a significant number of errors. For example, Texas officials reported that 2,724 voters were flagged as potential noncitizens, but investigations revealed that many were incorrectly categorized.
Data from various states indicate that SAVE has misidentified close to 5% of flagged voters as noncitizens, raising questions about the tool’s efficacy. Local election administrators in Texas have reported widespread confusion, as Secretary of State Jane Nelson directed them to verify citizenship without proper guidance. This has led to voter intimidation and unnecessary stress for those wrongly flagged, as they are required to prove their citizenship to maintain their voting rights.
The inaccuracies of SAVE are particularly concerning given that 35 million registered voters across seven states have been subjected to this flawed system. Many clerks, like Bobby Gonzalez from Duval County, expressed skepticism about the tool’s merit, stating, “I really find no merit in any of this,” after it falsely flagged all three individuals as noncitizens.
Election officials have criticized the hastiness of SAVE’s implementation. Brian Broderick, who leads the verification division at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, admitted the system often fails to capture the most current citizenship data. He emphasized, “It’s ultimately up to states to decide how to use SAVE data,” which has left many feeling vulnerable and confused.
The situation has sparked widespread concern about privacy and potential misuse of voter data for immigration enforcement. Individuals like Sofia Minotti from Denton County, who was flagged as a noncitizen despite her U.S. citizenship, have voiced their distress. “I really have no idea why I had to prove it,” she stated, highlighting the emotional toll this has taken on citizens wrongfully accused.
Local election officials are now calling for a thorough review of the system before any further action is taken. Many are advocating for better access to federal citizenship data, as previous attempts have led to misidentifications and widespread errors.
As February 5, 2026 approaches, the implications of this flawed tool are critical. Election integrity advocates are urging the public and state officials to reconsider the use of SAVE to avoid further disenfranchisement of eligible voters. The next steps involve states reassessing their flagged voter lists and ensuring that accurate citizenship verification methods are employed before the midterms.
Stay tuned for live updates as this developing story unfolds, impacting elections across the country. The stakes have never been higher for safeguarding the rights of American voters.
