The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has reportedly given the green light to a plan enabling states to utilize federal databases for verifying the citizenship of registered voters. This step also includes monitoring mail-in and absentee voting to identify possible fraud.
This initiative, which supports the integrity of elections touted by President Donald Trump, received DHS approval last Thursday, and it’s anticipated to roll out later this month, based on a court document filed on Friday.
Under this plan, state election officials will be able to submit their full voter registration lists to a federal immigration database known as the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program. Through this process, they can confirm voting eligibility and citizenship status.
Additionally, officials will gain access to a secure online system that allows them to directly view citizenship records maintained by federal entities.
These federal agencies apparently include the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Social Security Administration (SSA), and the State Department.
DHS also plans to collaborate with the United States Postal Service (USPS) to oversee the distribution of mail-in and absentee ballots, analyze any irregularities indicative of voter fraud or misuse, and provide leads for authorized investigations, as indicated in the filing.
Moreover, the proposal specifies that the USPS will be barred from delivering mail-in ballots to individuals not listed on the official “Mail-in Ballot and Absentee Participation List.”
To guarantee that only citizens cast their votes, all mail-in ballot envelopes must be clearly marked as “Official Election Mail” and include a unique tracking barcode.
This initiative emerges a few months after President Trump’s executive order, `Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections,’ aimed at establishing a `state citizenship list.’
Trump’s executive order directs DHS to identify and share information about verified U.S. citizens aged 18 and older with state election officials.
