The “SAVE Our Elections Act” requires the Maryland Board of Elections to verify the citizenship of voters by utilizing the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) tool. Under the bill, the Board of Elections must use the tool for voter registration and for voter list maintenance. If an individual is reported by the SAVE tool to lack U.S. citizenship, the bill requires the Board to establish an appeal process for the individual to dispute the report.
While it is important to understand what this bill is, it is also important to understand what it is NOT. The bill is not related to or similar to the federal SAVE Act currently before Congress.
The SAVE tool is an information service administered by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which state and local governments use to verify an individual’s citizenship or immigration status to determine eligibility for state benefits, licenses, and other activities, including voter registration. Currently, 23 states utilize SAVE for voter registration and/or voter list maintenance, including Virginia and Colorado.
The SAVE tool is already in use in Maryland. According to the SAVE search tool, several Maryland agencies already use SAVE, including the Department of Human Services Family Investment Administration, which uses the tool to verify citizenship for 10 benefit categories. Maryland’s Department of Labor’s Division of Unemployment Insurance and the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency also use the tool to verify citizenship. This service is free to all state and local governments.