North Carolina Votes to Implement Voter Citizenship Verification
The North Carolina State Board of Elections has taken a significant step towards verifying voter citizenship status by approving a controversial plan advocated by the Trump administration. This decision aligns with a broader push for more stringent voter ID measures.
In a closely contested vote, the board’s Republican majority agreed 3-2 to enter into a partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This partnership will utilize the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program to check the citizenship status of millions of voters.
This decision was highlighted in a meeting that occurred amidst heightened immigration enforcement in the state, resulting in over 370 arrests by federal agents. The News & Observer initially reported the meeting’s outcome.
“I believe this is one of the best and few tools at our disposal,” stated Sam Hayes, the board’s executive director, emphasizing the program’s potential utility despite its contentious nature.
Critics of the SAVE program argue that it has a history of using outdated or incorrect data, which has previously led to erroneous identification of some registered voters as noncitizens. Adam Steele, the board’s Associate General Counsel, noted that an audit in 2017 using the SAVE program identified only a few noncitizens, with at least one individual unsure of how they were mistakenly registered.
Siobhan Millen, a Democratic board member, expressed concerns about the program, citing the 2017 audit findings that revealed a high rate of false positives. “If this database was reliable, I would be fine with using it, but it seems like our experience with it is that it wasn’t,” Millen said. “It’s just really not good enough data to take away someone’s right to vote.”
Stacey Eggers, another board member, highlighted the safeguards in place for those mistakenly removed from voter rolls, stating, “I would encourage anyone eligible to vote, to vote.” Eggers also pointed out the risk of diluting legitimate votes by allowing ineligible individuals to participate in elections.
The SAVE program’s implementation includes provisions for sharing voters’ personal information with agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection in cases of suspected fraud, as detailed in a DHS report.
For those interested in more details, a recording of the meeting is available on the State Board of Elections website.
