Homeland Security Pushes to Clean Voter Rolls Before Elections

2 min read

Homeland Security is intensifying efforts to secure U.S. elections by cleaning voter registration records, according to investigative journalist Peter Schweizer. While the goal of improving election security was once bipartisan, resistance has emerged from some states, particularly California, which has resisted using federal tools to verify voter eligibility.

Federal Efforts to Clean Voter Rolls

Heather Honey, a senior counselor and former Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has been leading efforts to help states clean their voter rolls. The federal government has long provided the SAVE system, an online tool that allows for quick verification of immigration and citizenship status for voters, recipients of benefits, and others. However, some states, like California, have not fully adopted the system.

According to Honey, about half of U.S. states have used the SAVE system’s bulk-upload feature to clean their entire voter registration database against federal records. These efforts have identified nearly 500,000 deceased registrants and about 30,000 aliens. The Justice Department and DHS are now suing California after determining that more than 20,000 individuals likely to be noncitizens are registered to vote in the state.

California’s Resistance and Legal Challenges

California has resisted using the SAVE system, citing privacy concerns. However, Honey points out that states already share similar data with the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), which includes Social Security numbers and driver’s license information. She argues that the federal government already has access to such data, making the privacy argument moot.

In a July letter, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin asked California to separate ballots from individuals identified as likely noncitizens. California responded that separating ballots would be ‘catastrophic’ to its election system, but Honey notes that states already segregate provisional and duplicate ballots. She argues that similar methods could be used to flag potential noncitizen voters without disrupting the election process.

Broader Implications for Election Security

Schweizer and co-host Eric Eggers discussed how the resistance to federal oversight has raised concerns about election integrity. While some states have embraced the SAVE system, others have not, creating a patchwork of voter roll security measures. The Justice Department and DHS continue to push for greater federal involvement in ensuring that only eligible voters participate in elections.