United States national citizenship database
Since 2025, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the US Department of Homeland Security and US Department of Justice have attempted to create a national citizenship database that simultaneously functions as a national voter database in the United States, which does not currently possess such databases.[1][2][3]
Background
Prior to the second Trump administration, the US federal government has never attempted to create a centralized and comprehensive database of American citizens.[4] Maintaining voter registration lists is the responsibility of state governments, as the Constitution reserves control of elections to the states.[4]
History
Executive Order 14248
On March 25, 2025, president Donald Trump issued Executive Order 14248, titled Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections, which requires the attorney general to “ensure compliance” with voter registration laws and "take appropriate action with respect to states that fail to comply” with voter laws."[1] The Department of Justice sought voter registration list data from 50 states and Washington, D.C. to "ensure that states have proper and effective voter registration and voter list maintenance programs."[1] The department subsequently filed suit against Washington, D.C. and 30 states that did not comply with its requests.[1]
In June 2025, DOGE and the Department of Homeland Security created a searchable national citizenship database, combining information from immigration agency and Social Security Administration databases, through expanding the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system.[5]
League of Women Voters v. Department of Homeland Security
In October 2025, the League of Women Voters, Electronic Privacy Information Center and five individuals filed suit against the Trump administration in League of Women Voters v. Department of Homeland Security, arguing the expansion of the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements system violated the Privacy Act of 1974 and the Constitution.[6]
On June 22, 2026, a federal judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan found the expansion violated the Administrative Procedure Act, Social Security Act and Privacy Act of 1974, and ordered that DHS stop permitting states to search the data, which includes Social Security records.[7][8][9] In her ruling, she wrote that "All in all, the federal government has knowingly trampled on the privacy rights of American citizens in a manner that threatens the sacred right to vote," adding, "This Court cannot stand idly by while that happens."[10]
State of Florida v. Department of Homeland Security
On October 16, 2024 during the prior Biden Administration, the State of Florida sought access to the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements database from DHS and filed State of Florida v. Department of Homeland Security.[9] Florida was joined by 3 other Republican-led states, Indiana, Iowa, and Ohio, in a settlement with DHS approved in a December 1, 2025 settlement by District Judge T. Kent Wetherell II in northern Florida.[9]
In 2026, the states subsequently argued the DHS had violated the terms of the agreement, with judge Wetherell agreeing and ruling the DHS had to make the enhanced database available to the four states.[9] This led to a conflicting ruling with Judge Sooknanan's prior ruling in June 2026.[9]
Executive Order 14399
On March 31, 2026, president Donald Trump issued Executive Order 14399, titled Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections, which directs US Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Social Security Administration to create "State Citizenship Lists" of individuals the agencies believe are citizens in each state, and send those lists to state officials "no fewer than 60 days before each regularly scheduled Federal election."[4][11]
ICE vote database contract
In August 2026, Immigration and Customs Enforcement published a $5 million contract to create a national database of voters in an effort to combat alleged fraud.[12]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Tracking the DOJ's effort to get U.S. voter registration data". NBC News. 2026-07-13. Retrieved 2026-09-04.
- ^ Gabe Cohen, Tierney Sneed, Jeremy Herb, Fredreka Schouten (2026-04-05). "Trump is trying to build a massive voter database. Election officials are afraid of what he'll do with it | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 2026-09-04.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Parks, Miles; Martin; Michel (2025-06-30). "The Trump administration is building a national citizenship system". NPR. Retrieved 2026-09-04.
- ^ a b c Joffe-Block, Jude (2026-09-03). "The Trump administration still aims to make state citizenship lists ahead of midterms". NPR. Retrieved 2026-09-04.
- ^ Bhuiyan, Johana (2025-06-30). "Trump officials create searchable national citizenship database". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-09-04.
- ^ Service, Ryan Knappenberger/Courthouse News (2025-10-01). "Trump administration sued over 'Orwellian' national citizenship database". Arizona Mirror. Retrieved 2026-09-04.
- ^ Knappenberger, Ryan (2026-06-22). "Federal judge blocks Trump's national citizenship database". Courthouse News Service. Retrieved 2026-09-04.
- ^ Montague, Zach (2026-06-22). "Federal Citizenship Data Tool Cannot Be Used to Screen Voters, Judge Rules". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-09-04.
- ^ a b c d e Marley, Patrick; Berman, Mark (2026-07-11). "Conflicting court orders over citizenship data stir more midterm confusion". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-09-04.
- ^ "Judge blocks Trump administration's overhauled database of Americans' personal information - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2026-06-22. Retrieved 2026-09-04.
- ^ "Contributor: The Supreme Court needs to remind Trump he has no power over elections". Los Angeles Times. 2026-08-25. Retrieved 2026-09-04.
- ^ Gilbert, David (2026-09-02). "ICE Plans to Pay $5 Million to Create National Voting Database". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2026-09-04.