WASHINGTON — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has expanded its Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program to allow states to verify voter citizenship using just the last four digits of a Social Security number, rather than the full nine-digit number.
The upgrade, aimed at reinforcing the integrity of U.S. elections, enables state officials to confirm that only U.S. citizens are casting ballots in federal elections. “USCIS remains dedicated to eliminating barriers to securing the nation’s electoral process,” said USCIS spokesman Matthew Tragesser. “By allowing states to efficiently verify voter eligibility, we are reinforcing the principle that America’s elections are reserved exclusively for American citizens.”
The change is part of USCIS’ implementation of Executive Order 14248, *Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections*. Under the new system, registered agencies verifying voter rolls can create a SAVE case without requiring a Department of Homeland Security identifier or a full Social Security number.
SAVE has already seen extensive use: state voting agencies have submitted more than 46 million voter verification queries, while federal agencies have submitted over 110 million queries to verify eligibility for federally funded benefits. Altogether, the system has handled more than 205 million verification queries as of October 2025, compared to 25 million in all of 2024.
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Currently, 26 states either have—or are in the process of establishing—agreements with SAVE for voter verification. Government officials at all levels are being urged to adopt the system to prevent voter fraud and restore public confidence in elections.
Additional details on the program can be found in the SAVE Voter Registration and Voter List Maintenance Fact Sheet. Voter Registration and Voter List Maintenance Fact Sheet.