A growing rift has emerged between the Biden-Harris administration and several states over efforts to remove noncitizens from voter rolls. The administration has been accused of roadblocking and using lawfare to thwart these efforts, sparking a series of lawsuits across the country.
In Ohio, Secretary of State Frank LaRose has sued the Department of Homeland Security, alleging that the agency has refused to provide the state with access to records from the Systematic Alien Verification and Entitlements (SAVE) database. LaRose claims that these records are essential for verifying the citizenship status of Ohio voters.
“The Biden-Harris administration is engaging in obstruction and outright abuse of power to prevent us from removing noncitizens from our voter rolls,” LaRose said in a statement. “I take my duty seriously, so if they want a fight over the integrity of our elections, they’ve got it.”
Florida has also taken action, filing a similar lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security. The state alleges that the agency denied a request to provide information necessary to verify the citizenship status of individuals on the voter rolls. Florida contends that the federal government is mandated to supply such information under federal law.
In Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued the Department of Homeland Security and other members of the Biden-Harris administration for not complying with federal law requiring them to assist states in verifying the citizenship status of potentially ineligible voters. Paxton claims that the administration has refused to provide information regarding the citizenship of nearly half a million potentially ineligible voters.
Virginia has also been embroiled in a dispute with the Biden-Harris administration. The state’s efforts to ensure only eligible U.S. citizens are on the voter registration lists were met with a lawsuit from the Department of Justice. The suit alleged that specific instructions in an executive order from Governor Glenn Youngkin violated a provision of the 1993 National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).
A federal judge recently ruled that the state must reinstate over 1,500 allegedly “self-identified” noncitizens to the voter rolls just 11 days before the November general election. Youngkin has expressed his concerns about the decision, stating that most of the individuals in question had previously presented immigration documents confirming their noncitizen status.
Alabama and Secretary of State Wes Allen were also sued by the Biden-Harris DOJ in September after the state discovered more than 3,000 potential noncitizens on its voter rolls. The state’s efforts to remove these individuals were halted by a federal judge, who sided with the department.
The Biden-Harris administration’s actions have been criticized by Republicans, who argue that the administration is using the Justice Department to target election integrity efforts. The Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would have amended the NVRA to require individuals to provide documentary proof of citizenship in order to register to vote, was eventually shot down in the House after being opposed by Democrats.
