DHS Advances Plan for Voter Citizenship Verification

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has approved a new initiative to assist states in verifying the citizenship of registered voters. This effort is part of President Donald Trump’s focus on election integrity. The plan was approved last Thursday, with a roll-out expected by the end of June.

The initiative enables states to cross-check their entire voter registration records with a federal immigration database. This verification aims to ensure that only U.S. citizens are registered to vote. State election officials will have secure access to citizenship data held by federal agencies such as the Social Security Administration and the State Department.

The plan also involves collaboration with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to track mail-in and absentee ballots. This monitoring seeks to spot unusual patterns, potentially indicating voter fraud, and suggest areas for investigation.

“DHS plans to partner with the United States Postal Service (USPS) to observe mail-in and absentee ballot trends. This includes spotting any anomalies that might indicate voter fraud or misuse,” according to the court filing.

The move aligns with President Trump’s March 31 executive order titled “Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections.” This order mandates the creation of state citizenship lists and requires the DHS to identify and share information on U.S. citizens aged 18 and older with state election officials.

Moreover, the USPS is restricted from delivering mail-in ballots to individuals not listed on the state’s “Mail-In and Absentee Participation List.” Ballot envelopes must be marked as “Official Election Mail” and include a unique tracking barcode to ensure that ballots are cast only by citizens.

The plan refers to a federal immigration database, the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program. States can submit their full voter registration lists to this system, which will cross-reference the data with federal immigration and citizenship records, including those from the Social Security Administration.

An additional feature of the plan is a secure online portal through which state election officials can access citizenship information from federal agencies. These agencies include U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Social Security Administration (SSA), and the State Department. Data will remain within each agency’s system, and state officials will use the portal for voter eligibility verification.