Nevada Secretary of State Refuses to Join Federal SAVE Program for Noncitizen Voter Checks

Nevada will not participate in the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program that the Trump administration is using to help states identify noncitizens on voter rolls, Democratic Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar said.

Aguilar told The Center Square that his office would not cooperate, pointing to concerns about false positives and accuracy. “It’s a felony for those ineligible to knowingly register and vote in Nevada. Any claims of a widespread problem are false and only create distrust in our elections,” he said. The decision followed a letter from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph B. Edlow requesting that Nevada use the system.

Twenty-six states have joined the voluntary SAVE program, including Florida and Texas. Nevada requires voters to affirm citizenship upon registration and treats noncitizen voting as a criminal offense. Earlier this year the Department of Homeland Security provided Nevada with lists of potential noncitizens; state officials reviewed a reduced set of 185 names and reported that all appeared to be citizens.

Aguilar has said the potential for errors outweighs the benefits for Nevada. The administration has described SAVE as an efficient tool for verifying citizenship or immigration status. Federal prosecutors have brought charges against noncitizens for illegal voting in multiple states in recent weeks, including Nevada.