Four States Settle Dispute Over Citizenship Data Access Amid Election Controversies

Fri Dec 05 2025 04:17:19 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Florida, Indiana, Iowa, and Ohio reach a settlement with the federal government regarding access to citizenship data for voter verification, impacting future elections.

The Biden administration faced lawsuits from four Republican-led states—Florida, Indiana, Iowa, and Ohio—who asserted their need for better access to citizenship verification data ahead of the 2024 elections. The recent settlement allows these states to utilize the upgraded Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program, aimed at ensuring that voter eligibility is properly checked. This move not only raises concerns for voting rights advocates but may also lead to significant changes in how citizenship statuses are verified in future elections.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — In a significant move aimed at ensuring the integrity of electoral processes, four Republican-led states—Florida, Indiana, Iowa, and Ohio—have reached a settlement with the federal government regarding access to crucial citizenship data for verifying voter eligibility. This dispute began in advance of the contentious 2024 presidential election, with claims that the Biden administration was obstructing states' efforts to check citizenship statuses needed to confirm whether registered voters are legally eligible to vote.

Under this new agreement with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Secretary Kristi Noem, these states now have the go-ahead to utilize the federal government’s upgraded Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system to run extensive searches of registered voters’ data. This tool, initially enhanced during the Trump administration, allows states to perform checks using voters' names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers.

Moreover, the terms of the agreement stipulate that the states will collaborate with the DHS by sharing driver’s license records to aid in the modernization of the federal database—a move seen as strategic with the impending 2026 midterm elections in mind. This information-sharing initiative has garnered criticism from voting rights advocates, who fear it could lead to wrongful purges of eligible voters from the registries.

In previous years, claims of rampant illegal voting by noncitizens have been leveraged politically, despite evidence showcasing that such occurrences are rare. The SAVE program, instrumental in verifying eligibility for public benefits, is now becoming a point of contention as states seek to apply it broadly for voter verification—potentially altering the landscape of voter registration and access.

As part of the settlement, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, and Ohio are expected to develop a memorandum of understanding within 90 days, outlining the use and improvement of the SAVE system. The implications of this settlement stretch beyond just these four states, as it aligns with a growing push from some political factions to tighten voting regulations under the claim of enhancing electoral integrity.