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Georgia secretary of state urges improvements to SAVE program

By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Published  February 6, 2025 7:33am EST
Politics
FOX 5 Atlanta

The Brief

    • Strengthening Voter Verification: Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger urges Homeland Security to improve the SAVE program, making it easier for states to verify citizenship for voter registration.
    • Key Recommendations: Proposed updates include expanding search capabilities, ensuring timely database updates, eliminating access fees, and providing clear usage guidance for state election officials.
    • Commitment to Election Integrity: Raffensperger emphasizes the need for these reforms to protect voter rolls, prevent legal conflicts, and enhance public confidence in election security.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has formally requested that newly appointed U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem implement critical improvements to the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program.

What we know:

In a letter to Noem, Raffensperger congratulated her on her appointment and emphasized the need to enhance the SAVE system to help states more effectively verify citizenship for voter registration and maintain election integrity. He outlined several key recommendations, including:

  • Expanded Search Capabilities: Allowing election officials to use additional personal identifying information—such as dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and driver's license numbers—rather than relying solely on Alien Registration or DHS receipt numbers.
  • Timely Database Updates: Ensuring that newly naturalized citizens are promptly reflected in the SAVE system.
  • Elimination of Access Fees: Providing states with free access to the system to remove financial barriers to citizenship verification.
  • Clear Usage Guidance: Offering comprehensive instructions to ensure uniform use of the system across states and prevent legal conflicts.

What they're saying:

"Enhancing the SAVE program will significantly reduce the burdens faced by states in verifying citizenship and maintaining accurate voter rolls," Raffensperger said. "We’ve fought to protect Georgia’s citizenship verification system not once, but twice. These improvements are critical to protecting the integrity of our elections and ensuring that only lawful U.S. citizens participate in the democratic process."

Why you should care:

The letter concludes with a call for Noem’s commitment to improving the usability, availability, and reliability of the SAVE program. Raffensperger noted that election officials from other states have also expressed support for these reforms and are prepared to collaborate with DHS to strengthen election security and public confidence in the voting process.

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