The Supreme Court approved the Trump administration's plan to expand a voter verification system ahead of the midterms, allowing states to use the database for individualized checks. The decision permits the use of the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system, which includes Social Security data, for voter eligibility checks before the November election.
The court's conservative majority upheld the administration's effort to expand the SAVE system, which was paused by a lower court over privacy and accuracy concerns. The decision sets aside a D.C. Circuit ruling that blocked the expansion, allowing the system to be used for individualized searches ahead of the midterms. The order also notes that mass changes to voter rolls are prohibited in the weeks leading up to the election.
The decision faces criticism from Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who argued that altering the system would violate federal law and risk disenfranchising naturalized citizens. Jackson's dissent highlights concerns about the potential harm of using the database to purge eligible voters, despite the administration's claim that the system is best suited for the task. The ruling comes as experts warn about the accuracy of the database and the risk of misuse.
The Supreme Court's decision allows the administration to proceed with the expansion of the SAVE system, which was created in 1986 to check immigrants' citizenship status. The system, which includes Social Security and other information, is set to be used for individualized searches ahead of the midterms, despite the lower court's concerns about privacy and accuracy issues.