DHS Plan to Enhance Voter Verification and Monitor Ballots

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has approved a new plan to aid states in confirming that registered voters are U.S. citizens. This initiative also involves monitoring mail ballot flows to identify potential signs of voter fraud. This aligns with President Donald Trump’s agenda on election integrity.

The department approved the plan recently, with expectations for the initiative to launch by the end of June. According to a court filing, the proposal allows states to submit their voter registration rolls to a federal database to verify citizenship and voting eligibility. State election officials will access citizenship data held by federal agencies such as the Social Security Administration and the State Department.

The DHS plan includes coordination with the United States Postal Service (USPS) to monitor mail-in and absentee ballot flows. The goal is to spot unusual patterns, detect potential fraud, and generate investigative leads. A statement outlined DHS’s intent to work with USPS to identify fraud or misuse in voting.

DHS contemplates working with the United States Postal Service (USPS) to monitor mail-in and absentee ballot flows, identify anomalies that may suggest voter fraud or misuse, and generate authorized investigative leads.

This move follows President Donald Trump’s executive order from March 31, titled “Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections.” It directs the creation of state citizenship lists requiring DHS to pinpoint confirmed U.S. citizens aged 18 and older and share this with state election officials.

The USPS is prohibited from delivering mail-in ballots to individuals not on state-provided “Mail-In and Absentee Participation Lists.” All ballot envelopes must carry an “Official Election Mail” marking and a unique tracking barcode to verify that only citizens cast ballots.

The initiative involves the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program, allowing states to submit full voter lists to compare with federal immigration and citizenship data. The secure online system enables state officials to check citizenship data with federal agencies like USCIS, SSA, and the State Department.

Ensuring data security, the information remains within each agency’s system. Officials will conduct verifications through a secure portal, maintaining the integrity of voter eligibility verification processes.