Created in 1986, expanded last year for bulk voter searches
The Department of Homeland Security’s SAVE program allows officials to verify the eligibility of voters on their rolls. Known as the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, the database was first created in 1986 to help officials verify the citizenship or immigration status of those applying for public benefits.
The Trump administration last year expanded the program’s search capabilities by allowing bulk searches using Social Security numbers. The change produced the legal challenge that reached US District Judge Sparkle L Soonnan, a Biden appointee, in June.
Judge Soonnan ruled that the revamped system was illegal and violated the privacy rights of Americans. In her ruling, she found that the federal government had “knowingly trampled on the privacy rights” of US citizens “in a manner that threatens the sacred right to vote.”
A federal appeals court allowed Judge Soonnan’s ruling to stand. The Trump administration appealed the decisions as it pursued the use of the system.
On Friday, the Supreme Court voted 6-3 to override the lower courts and lift restrictions on the Trump administration’s use of the database. The database uses citizenship information and other sensitive data to filter alleged non-citizen voting. The three liberal justices dissented from the decision, with the other six conservative justices supporting it.
Critics warn the ruling could lead to valid voters being removed from electoral rolls.