Story perspectives

Supreme Court Reinstates DHS SAVE Citizenship Verification System

By Drooid · Sep 28, 2026, 3:52 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

The U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the DHS SAVE system for voter citizenship verification.
The majority held a 1996 immigration law authorizes DHS to obtain Social Security citizenship data.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Elena Kagan dissented, warning the stay could harm lawful voters.
The administration said SAVE verified over 65 million voters in 26 states and flagged 28,635 noncitizens.

History

Historical Context

Congress passed the National Voter Registration Act in 1993, letting the Justice Department share citizenship data with states and enrolling over 50 million voters by 2005. The Supreme Court’s recent ruling lets DHS revive the SAVE program, using Social Security records to verify citizenship for about 65 million voters in 26 states, reigniting long-standing federal-state tensions over voter-roll oversight.

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Story summary

The U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the DHS SAVE system for voter citizenship verification.
The majority held a 1996 immigration law authorizes DHS to obtain Social Security citizenship data.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Elena Kagan dissented, warning the stay could harm lawful voters.
The administration said SAVE verified over 65 million voters in 26 states and flagged 28,635 noncitizens.

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