Senate passes series of bills requiring verification of citizenship status

Iowa senators approved a number of bills Wednesday related to citizenship verification using federal information.

The Senate approved Senate File 2203 in a 34-13 vote Wednesday, requiring the secretary of state to verify the citizenship status of each registered voter using the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database. If a person is not verified as a U.S. citizen through the SAVE database check, the Secretary of State’s office would provide notice to the county auditor, who would then designate this individual as having “unconfirmed” citizenship status.

The county auditor would be required to send notice to an individual about their status, providing information about how they can provide proof of citizenship, contact the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to correct information in the SAVE database, or to allow them to cancel their voter registration request. If a person does not provide proof of citizenship within 90 days of being designated as “unconfirmed,” their voter registration would be canceled.

Democrats said the measure could cause Iowans who can legally vote to be deemed ineligible because of problems with the SAVE database. Sen. Cindy Winckler, D-Davenport, said county auditors already vet people registering to vote using the individual’s Social Security number, driver’s license number, address and checking whether they are a felon.



https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/02/25/senate-passes-series-of-bills-requiring-verification-of-citizenship-status/