Some citizens may receive such notification, as those who registered to vote before 2005 did not have to provide their Social Security number or state-issued ID. 

The 2024 law defines proof of citizenship as a birth certificate, passport, naturalization document or naturalization number. Legible photocopies are also acceptable.  

If the individual is unable to provide documentation, they can appeal to the county election board. The board’s decision will be forwarded to the county voter registration office, which will ensure records reflect the verdict.

Will SAVE data be used for criminal investigations and deportation? 

It’s unclear how the revamped data system and its partnerships with states will impact federal immigration enforcement efforts. 

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services did not respond to IndyStar’s request for comment by publication, including whether it will use the new collaboration to detain, deport or investigate undocumented immigrants.  

The lack of information has generated some concern, including from a state election official who told National Public Radio (NPR) they worried the information would be used to aid President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign.

When asked if the efforts would be used to facilitate immigration enforcement or criminal prosecution, a spokesperson for the Indiana Secretary of State’s office said local election officials should forward evidence of noncitizen voting to law enforcement.

What voting rights advocates are saying 

Julia Vaughn of Common Cause Indiana, an advocacy group that focuses on voting rights and government transparency, said SAVE was never intended for verifying voter eligibility; instead, it’s historically been used to determine whether someone can receive government benefits by checking their immigration status.  

Data contained within SAVE is sometimes out-of-date and inaccurate, she said, presenting a real possibility that citizens will be mistaken as noncitizens.  

She pointed to a similar program from Kansas called Crosscheck, which compares voter registration data with lists from participating states and looks for matches that prove someone is registered twice.  

But a 2017 study found 99.5% of voters with name and date of birth matches within the Crosscheck system were in fact two separate individuals, creating the risk that someone could be falsely identified as an ineligible voter. 

The system led to a class action lawsuit that alleged the program exposed sensitive personal information of voters suspected to be ineligible. One of the plaintiffs, for example, had parts of his Social Security number shared over unencrypted emails with the state of Florida because a man who lived there shared the same name as the plaintiff. 

While the Indiana process allows potentially misidentified voters to prove their citizenship, merely missing a piece of mail could cost someone to lose their opportunity to vote. Vaughn said she fears people who are cleared from the voter rolls may only find out when they go to the polls. 

The risk is not worth it to Vaughn, who called the concept of noncitizen voters a “popular misperception.”