U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has upgraded its Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program to allow states to verify voter citizenship using only the last four digits of an individual’s Social Security number. The move is intended to streamline verification while ensuring that only U.S. citizens participate in federal elections.
“USCIS remains dedicated to eliminating barriers to securing the nation’s electoral process,” said spokesman Matthew Tragesser. “By allowing states to efficiently verify voter eligibility, we are reinforcing the principle that America’s elections are reserved exclusively for American citizens.”
Under the enhancement, state agencies no longer need the full nine-digit Social Security number or a Department of Homeland Security identifier to submit voter verification requests. The program is part of the administration’s broader implementation of Executive Order 14248, Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections.
Since the SAVE system’s optimization, state voting agencies have submitted over 46 million voter verification queries, while federal agencies have processed more than 110 million queries for benefits eligibility. Overall, SAVE has handled more than 205 million status verification queries as of October 2025, up from 25 million in all of 2024.
Currently, 26 states either have or are in the process of establishing agreements with USCIS to use SAVE for voter verification. SAVE can confirm U.S.-born and naturalized citizenship, verify immigration status for non-citizens, and in some cases, confirm acquired citizenship or whether an individual is deceased. While SAVE provides verification data, it does not itself determine eligibility to register or vote.
The expanded functionality is expected to help states maintain accurate voter rolls while complying with federal law, which limits voting in federal elections to U.S. citizens.
