Ethical Hacking News
The SAVE Program: A Recipe for Disenfranchisement and Data Breaches
Lauren Feiner and her team from The Verge write that the midterms are going to be a data security nightmare due to the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) Program. This program is an error-prone effort to catch non-citizens voting, but it also has significant risks such as disenfranchisement and data breaches, according to experts. The article highlights that states have successfully fought the order; however, 16 have agreed to hand over full voter registration lists. As a result, citizens may lose their right to vote due to fear of being erroneously flagged or subject to prosecution and investigation.
The Department of Homeland Security's SAVE Program aims to catch non-citizens voting in the 2026 midterm elections, but critics argue it's a recipe for disenfranchisement and data breaches. The program was expanded by President Trump's administration to demand states provide voter information to cross-reference against SAVE, then purge any voters deemed ineligible. Experts say the federal government has no authority to intervene in state elections and that inserting themselves into the process is unprecedented and disturbing. The administration has proceeded with known risk, potentially subjecting citizens to prosecution and investigation despite being legally entitled to vote. Prior studies have shown that non-citizens rarely vote in US elections, with only 31 credible instances of voter impersonation out of a billion cast ballots since 2000. The SAVE Program is part of a larger pattern of potential intimidation by Trump's administration, including efforts to deploy ICE or National Guard at polling stations.
The 2026 midterm elections are just around the corner, and election and privacy experts are sounding alarms about the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) Program. This program, expanded by President Donald Trump's administration, aims to catch non-citizens voting in the elections. However, critics argue that it is a recipe for disenfranchisement and data breaches.
The SAVE program was created in 1987 to verify public benefit eligibility and queries federal databases to determine residents' immigration status. Last year, Trump's Department of Justice (DOJ) began demanding nearly every state provide complete voter information to cross-reference against the program, then purge any voters the agency deems ineligible within 45 days.
Zach Kahler, a spokesperson for US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), said the administration "is dedicated to securing America's elections," and called it "critical that states have the information needed to administer fair and secure elections." However, experts argue that this is an unprecedented and disturbing move by the federal government into the day-to-day functioning of state elections.
Eileen O'Connor, senior counsel at the Brennan Center, said, “The federal government doesn’t have the authority to do any of that and doesn’t have the expertise either. Inserting themselves into the day-to-day functioning of state elections is unprecedented and disturbing.” She also mentioned that states have always been in charge of administering elections, and have the processes in place to do so.
Furthermore, O'Connor noted that the administration has proceeded in the face of known risk, some might say by design, rather than just out of negligence. This, she said, results in people losing their right to vote, as they fear being potentially subject to prosecution and investigation despite being legally entitled to vote.
The risk is not hypothetical; outlets including NPR and The Texas Tribune have identified US citizens erroneously flagged via SAVE. Davisson suggests that the system should be working to ensure their fundamental right to vote. He also pointed out that the exploitation of personal information through the creation of these lists will prevent people from being able to exercise their right to vote, particularly in mail-in ballots.
In October 2025, Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson said an audit of over 18 million against SAVE data had identified 2,724 registered "potential noncitizens." However, studies have shown that extraordinarily few non-citizens vote in US elections. A 2014 analysis published in The Washington Post found 31 credible instances of voter impersonation out of a billion cast ballots since 2000.
Lauren Feiner, senior policy reporter at The Verge, said the SAVE program is a part of a larger pattern of potential intimidation by Trump's administration. He mentioned that Trump has floated sending Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or the National Guard to polling stations to ensure "honest elections," even though armed federal agents are generally barred from deploying there.
The SAVE Program is just one example of the Trump administration's efforts to centralize agency data. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), for instance, attempted to build a massive database combining information on individuals across multiple agencies, eschewing typical data security protections.
In addition, President Donald Trump has recently issued an executive order demanding the Postal Service withhold mail-in ballots to homes unless states submit their voter rolls to the feds. This, Davisson pointed out, is another example of the administration's efforts to exploit personal information to disenfranchise voters.
According to state investigations and multiple studies, it can be concluded that the administration has proceeded in a manner that disregards expertise and authority. Moreover, states have successfully fought the order; however, 16 have agreed to hand over full voter registration lists, according to the Brennan Center, and two — Texas and Alaska — agreed to implement the purge.
In conclusion, the SAVE Program is not just an error-prone effort to catch non-citizens voting but a recipe for disenfranchisement and data breaches. The program puts citizens at risk of being erroneously flagged, leading to fear that may limit their right to vote. Furthermore, it raises concerns about potential intimidation by Trump's administration, as seen in the administration's efforts to deploy ICE or National Guard at polling stations.
Moreover, the centralization of agency data and the creation of large lists are vulnerabilities for hackers, exposing sensitive information on millions of people. As such, experts argue that states have a right to administer elections independently without federal interference.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/The-SAVE-Program-A-Recipe-for-Disenfranchisement-and-Data-Breaches-ehn.shtml
https://www.theverge.com/policy/952167/voter-rolls-privacy-election-save-program
Published: Thu Jun 18 11:24:20 2026 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
