The Texas Secretary of State’s Office has instructed county officials to reinstate some voters who were wrongly flagged as potential noncitizens through a federal program called Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE). This decision comes after the state reviewed Texas Department of Public Safety records, which confirmed the citizenship of some of the 2,724 registered voters who were initially flagged.

Background

Last fall, Texas officials sent counties information on the 2,724 potential noncitizens generated by checking the state’s voter roll of more than 18 million registered voters through SAVE. Counties then mailed notices to these registrants, asking them to provide documented proof of citizenship. Some voters responded, confirming their U.S. citizenship, while others did not, resulting in the cancellation of their registrations.

However, further investigation by the state found that hundreds of the flagged voters had registered through the Department of Public Safety, which requires proof of citizenship or lawful presence to obtain a state driver’s license or ID. The state is now working to reinstate voters who were incorrectly removed from the voter roll.

Next Steps

The Texas Secretary of State’s Office plans to send voter registrars additional information from the Department of Public Safety, showing that some of the flagged registered voters had provided proof of citizenship. Counties will then review this information and reinstate eligible voters whose registrations were canceled.

The use of the SAVE program has raised concerns about its accuracy, with experts and election officials questioning its ability to correctly identify noncitizens. Despite these concerns, the Trump administration has urged states to use the program to verify the citizenship of registered voters.

Original reporting: Texas Tribune (HLL/CB) — read the source article.