Federal judge blocks DHS use of citizenship database for voter roll purges
A Washington D.C. district court ruled that the Department of Homeland Security must halt a modified SAVE system that was being used to verify voter citizenship, citing violations of privacy and administrative law.
A Washington D.C. district judge issued a ruling that stops the Department of Homeland Security from using a revised version of its Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database to remove voters from registration lists. The decision found that the changes to SAVE, ordered by an executive directive in March, breached the Social Security Act, the 1974 Privacy Act and the Administrative Procedure Act by disclosing Social Security numbers and other personal data without required notices.
The judge vacated the modified system and the related notices, directing DHS to revert the database to its prior configuration. The ruling follows a lawsuit brought by the League of Women Voters and other voting-rights groups, which argued that the expanded database, accessed by state and local election officials, incorrectly flagged thousands of citizens as non-citizens.
"The Court cannot stand idly by while the federal government tramples on privacy rights and the right to vote," the opinion stated.
The court noted internal DHS memos warning that naturalized citizens were especially vulnerable to erroneous cancellations. The decision also highlighted that the agencies had combined and repurposed personal information without proper procedural compliance.
Representatives of the plaintiff coalition praised the outcome, saying it protects voter privacy and election integrity. The administration may appeal the judgment to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.