Summary
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) now allows states to check voter citizenship using only a person's name and the last four digits of their Social Security number. This update is part of an effort to help states verify voter rolls and enhance election security. Around 26 states have agreements with USCIS to use this verification tool.
Key Facts
- USCIS updated the SAVE program to allow citizenship checks with just a name and the last four digits of a Social Security number.
- The SAVE program is used by government agencies to confirm immigration or citizenship status.
- The change aims to help states confirm voter citizenship as part of election security efforts.
- The tool can only be used by states with an agreement with USCIS; about 26 states use or plan to use it.
- In 2025, around 205 million status verifications were conducted by both voting and benefit-related agencies.
- States decide how to handle any mismatches in verification, not USCIS.
- President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order aligning with this change to strengthen voter citizenship verification.
