Trump Administration Reaches Agreement with Ohio on Voter Roll Cleanup Using Federal Database

Ohio officials announced a landmark data-sharing agreement with the Trump administration on Monday that will strengthen the state’s ability to maintain accurate voter rolls by identifying non-citizens who may be registered to vote.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose secured guaranteed access to the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database for at least 20 years, ending a legal dispute with the Department of Homeland Security that began during the Biden administration.

“Ohio has a duty to ensure that only U.S. citizens are registered to vote, and this agreement gives us the tools to do that job right,” LaRose said. “I appreciate the Trump administration for working with us to deliver long-term access to the federal data needed to protect election integrity.”

The agreement represents a significant shift in federal policy regarding voter roll maintenance. Under the previous administration, states faced limited and costly access to the SAVE database, with fees charged on a per-query basis. LaRose had filed a lawsuit against DHS over these restrictions, which has now been resolved under the new terms.

The enhanced access provides Ohio election officials with two key capabilities: verifiable data supporting each citizenship verification and the ability to perform bulk verification requests. These tools will allow the state to more efficiently identify individuals who may be improperly registered.

Election integrity concerns have been a focal point in Ohio, where LaRose’s office has already taken substantial action. Prior to the 2024 election, state officials removed tens of thousands of problematic voter registrations. In October, LaRose referred over 1,000 non-citizens to the Department of Justice for potential prosecution after determining they “appear to have registered to vote unlawfully in Ohio.”

Of these cases, 167 individuals allegedly cast ballots in federal elections since 2018, representing a direct violation of federal law that prohibits non-citizens from voting in such elections.

The state’s voter roll maintenance efforts have uncovered various other irregularities. Officials identified 99 people who appear to have voted in two states during the same federal election and 16 who allegedly voted twice within Ohio in a single federal election. The investigation also flagged 14 instances of apparent votes cast in the name of deceased individuals, four cases of suspected ballot harvesting, and two registrations at unlawful residences.

Beyond targeting potentially fraudulent activity, Ohio has also conducted routine maintenance of its voter rolls. LaRose’s office recently removed more than 155,000 registrations that were confirmed to be abandoned and inactive for at least four consecutive years, following federal guidelines for maintaining voter lists.

This agreement comes amid intensified national debate over election security and voter access. Republican-led states have increasingly emphasized measures to prevent potential fraud, while Democratic officials have often prioritized removing barriers to voting participation.

The Ohio agreement could serve as a model for other states seeking similar arrangements with federal agencies to verify voter eligibility. Texas recently announced its own findings of thousands of non-citizens registered to vote, highlighting the broader push for enhanced verification systems across multiple states.

Election experts note that while documented cases of non-citizen voting remain relatively rare compared to the overall voting population, the integrity of voter rolls remains essential to maintaining public confidence in elections. The SAVE database access provides states with official federal verification to complement state-level identification processes.

With the 2024 election now concluded, these voter roll maintenance efforts will continue as states prepare for future electoral cycles with improved verification capabilities.