Voter Purge in US? Trump Admin Scans Millions Of Registrations Ahead Of Midterms

The Trump administration has run millions of voter registrations through government databases to verify eligibility, a move that has drawn criticism for potentially purging valid voters ahead of November’s midterm elections.

The program, conducted through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has flagged tens of thousands of registrations as potentially belonging to noncitizens or deceased individuals, AP reported.

At least 67 million registrations, mostly from Republican-controlled states, have been processed since the initiative was expanded.

Some states allow only a month for voters to confirm their eligibility, while others may suspend registration immediately. Critics warn that errors in the system could prevent eligible voters from casting

ballots.

Concerns Over Errors 

Voting rights advocates say the DHS verification system, known as SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements), is prone to mistakes.

“If a voter is wrongly removed, by the time they learn about it and correct it, they may miss their opportunity to vote in that election,” said Freda Levenson, an ACLU attorney challenging Ohio’s law requiring monthly checks.

Cases like Anthony Nel, a naturalised citizen flagged as a potential non-citizen in Texas, highlight the issue. Nel’s registration was temporarily cancelled while he waited for a new passport, despite having voted regularly for years. Similarly, Domingo Garcia, a long-time voter in Dallas, had his registration cancelled erroneously.

Republicans defend the program as a tool to maintain accurate voter rolls. Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican, said SAVE helps states identify registrations that “should be further investigated,” though flagged voters are not immediately barred from voting.

Federal Push For Verification

The initiative is part of Trump’s broader effort to federalise certain election functions and address perceived risks of non-citizen voting, though instances remain rare.

The US Justice Department has sued states refusing to provide voter data for these checks, stressing that the goal is to ensure compliance with federal law.

Since April 2025, at least 25 states have participated, with 60 million registrations checked. DHS reports roughly 24,000 potential non-citizens and 350,000 possibly deceased voters were flagged. Even if all were ineligible, they represent only a tiny fraction of total registrations.

(With inputs from AP)