The Issue

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Federal law allows only U.S. citizens to vote in American elections. States are responsible for ensuring their voter rolls are accurate and lawful—but until recently, tools to verify citizenship status were limited or costly.

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That has now changed.

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What’s Changed

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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has:

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• Expanded access to the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program

• Made SAVE available to all state and county election officials

• Eliminated the cost of accessing SAVE data

• Enabled batch processing, allowing election officials to check large numbers of registrants at once

 

In short, the tools to verify citizenship are now available, efficient, and free.

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What This Proposal Does

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This proposal updates Tennessee law to:

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• Require county election officials to verify every new voter registration through SAVE before adding a name to the voter rolls

• Require quarterly checks of the entire voter registration list using SAVE

• Ensure non–U.S. citizens are not registered to vote in Tennessee

 

Why It Matters

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• Voting is a right of U.S. citizenship

• Accurate voter rolls protect:

  • Legal voters

  • Election integrity

  • Public trust

• This proposal uses an existing federal system, at no cost to taxpayers

• Regular checks prevent errors before they become problems

 

What This Does Not Do

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• Does not change who is eligible to vote

• Does not target lawful voters

• Does not add new fees or bureaucracy

 

It simply ensures voter rolls reflect current law.

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Bottom Line

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Tennessee now has free, reliable access to federal tools that verify citizenship status.
This proposal ensures those tools are used—protecting lawful voters and the integrity of our elections.