21 Republican Secretaries of State have sent a letter to newly appointed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, demanding immediate action to prevent non-citizens from registering and voting in American elections.
The letter lays out critical improvements needed to the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program—a federal system used to verify citizenship status—is currently riddled with bureaucratic inefficiencies that hinder the detection of ineligible voters.
The Republican officials argue that under the current system, states face cumbersome restrictions, outdated technology, and financial barriers that make it difficult to effectively detect and remove non-citizens from voter rolls.
The letter is being led by Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen and co-signed by top election officials from states including:
- Arkansas (AR)
- Georgia (GA)
- Idaho (ID)
- Indiana (IN)
- Iowa (IA)
- Kansas (KS)
- Kentucky (KY)
- Louisiana (LA)
- Mississippi (MS)
- Missouri (MO)
- Montana (MT)
- Nebraska (NE)
- New Hampshire (NH)
- Ohio (OH)
- Oklahoma (OK)
- South Dakota (SD)
- Tennessee (TN)
- Utah (UT)
- West Virginia (WV)
- Wyoming (WY)
Among their top priorities:
Batch Processing for Voter Checks – Instead of manually verifying each voter one at a time, states should be allowed to check multiple voters at once, dramatically improving efficiency.
Expanding Access to Key Identifiers – Currently, election officials lack access to crucial identifying information such as dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and driver’s license numbers when checking voter rolls against SAVE. The officials demand that DHS allow these identifiers to be used.
Eliminating Cost Barriers – The SAVE program requires costly user fees and per-search charges, creating a financial burden on states trying to secure elections. The Secretaries insist that states should be able to use SAVE for free when verifying voter eligibility.
Clear Federal Guidance – Ambiguities and legal roadblocks from left-wing activist courts have hamstrung states trying to protect their elections. The letter urges unequivocal DHS guidance so states can properly utilize SAVE without interference.
Notifying States of Naturalization Applicants – Under current policies, states are left in the dark when non-citizens register to vote and later apply for naturalization. The letter demands that DHS alert election officials if an individual admits to voting while applying for citizenship.
Read the letter below:
