In what election integrity supporters are calling a rare judicial decision involving common sense, a federal judge has ordered the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to restore key voter verification features to its SAVE system to the plaintiff states (Florida, Indiana, Iowa and Ohio) after another court had blocked their use.
The SAVE database allows states to verify citizenship and immigration status when maintaining voter rolls. The enhanced features had been sidelined by a Washington, D.C., judge last month, creating headaches for states trying to use the system.
Now, according to a report [1] from Just the News, a Florida federal judge says DHS must turn those features back on, even while acknowledging the agency is caught between two conflicting court orders.
For states that want to ensure only eligible citizens are registered to vote, the ruling represents at least a temporary win. It doesn’t end the legal battle, but it does put another layer of verification back in place while the courts sort out which order ultimately controls things.