Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s Use of SAVE Program on Voter Rolls
A federal judge, appointed by President Joe Biden, has stopped the Trump administration from utilizing a modern verification system, known as the SAVE program, to remove foreign nationals from state voter registration lists.
Judge Sparkle Sukunanan, who serves on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, issued the ruling on Monday, putting a halt to the streamlined version of the SAVE program intended to address voter fraud.
The updated SAVE program removes the requirement to input all nine digits of a voter’s Social Security number, enabling states to expedite the process of confirming that only U.S. citizens are participating in federal elections.
“This case underscores two essential rights that protect Americans from government overreach: the right to privacy and the right to vote,” noted Sukunanan, who immigrated from Trinidad and Tobago.
In the past year, multiple federal agencies have collaborated to establish a centralized database that houses personal information about U.S. citizens, including Social Security numbers, citizenship status, and other sensitive details.
However, historical safeguards set by Congress were designed to prevent such a centralized repository. Records demonstrate that the federal agency responsible for this database was aware it was in violation of these legal protections. Government entities were in a rush to adhere to an executive order aimed at reshaping federal elections, leading them to hurriedly consolidate and reuse millions of Americans’ personal information, including questionable citizenship data. Consequently, states are working with the federal government to access these databases and remove American citizens from voter rolls based on faulty information, infringing on Americans’ privacy rights in a manner that jeopardizes the fundamental right to vote. This court cannot remain passive while this occurs.
A spokesperson from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had previously mentioned that the revised SAVE program is necessary to guarantee that “U.S. elections are limited to U.S. citizens only.”
The case is identified as League of Women Voters et al. v. DHS, no. 25-3501 in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
