Trump Administration Seeks Supreme Court Approval for Voter Database
Washington — The Trump administration approached the Supreme Court on Tuesday, requesting intervention in a lawsuit concerning the use of a data system for reviewing state voter rolls before the midterm elections.
In June, U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan determined that the Trump administration had unlawfully developed a centralized database, known as “Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements” (SAVE). This system contained private information of Americans and was used by several states to mistakenly remove U.S. citizens from their voter rolls.
Judge Sooknanan’s ruling stated, “the federal government has knowingly trampled on the privacy rights of American citizens in a manner that threatens the sacred right to vote.” She concluded that the administration violated three separate federal laws with its attempt to deploy the SAVE system.
Over the weekend, the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit refused the Trump administration’s request to lift the district court’s block on the SAVE database.
In Tuesday’s filing, Solicitor General D. John Sauer described Sooknanan’s ruling as “indefensible” and warned it could threaten the integrity of future elections. Sauer claimed the judge overstepped her authority and argued that the voting rights organizations that initiated the lawsuit lacked the appropriate legal standing.
Sauer urged the justices to rescind Sooknanan’s stay and permit the SAVE system’s usage. He stated, “SAVE does not disqualify any voter; instead, it merely notifies the states whether the federal government can confirm citizenship.” He added that any voter-related issues would be a result of state actions, not those of the federal government.
This request was made following the Trump administration’s appeal to the Supreme Court to reinstate Postal Service rules affecting mail voting for the upcoming midterms.
The SAVE database emerged from an executive order signed by Mr. Trump to implement a new proof-of-citizenship requirement for voter registration. It tasked the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration with creating a database allowing officials to verify citizenship or immigration status of voter registrants.
The executive order faced multiple legal challenges, leading to the blocking of key provisions. Nonetheless, this order prompted the overhaul of the existing SAVE system, expanding it to include natural-born citizens’ records, access to Social Security numbers, and permitting entities to conduct bulk record searches.