Ohio is set to gain expanded access to a federal citizenship verification database as part of a settlement reached with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Under the agreement, Ohio and three other states will receive long-term, free access to the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system, which can be used to check citizenship status when reviewing voter eligibility. The system allows searches using a person’s name, date of birth and the last four digits of a Social Security number. A judge must still approve the settlement, which would guarantee access for the next 20 years.
In exchange, Ohio will provide DHS with 1,000 randomly selected driver’s license records for system modernization purposes. State officials say the goal is to prevent noncitizens from being registered to vote, while advocacy groups and some lawmakers have raised concerns about data security and the risk of eligible voters being incorrectly flagged.
The SAVE database is not considered a complete list of U.S. citizens and is already used by many agencies nationwide to determine eligibility for public benefits.
Meanwhile, Ohio Senate Bill 293, which awaits the governor’s signature, would increase the frequency of citizenship checks for voter rolls and require election boards to immediately cancel registrations flagged as belonging to noncitizens. Voting rights groups warn the changes could lead to wrongful removals from voter lists, even as state officials say safeguards are in place to prevent errors.
