(Washington, DC) – US states’ use of a tool to verify citizenship that is marred by inaccurate and incomplete data is creating new hurdles for the right to vote with the midterm elections only days away, Human Rights Watch said today. The Supreme Court ruled in late September 2026 that states could use the tool, Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE), to screen lists of registered voters for citizenship status, at least for the time being.

“The use of the SAVE tool is causing new hurdles for some voters,” said Katherine La Puente , US democracy researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Sending vaguely worded letters as early voting began or offering federal-only ballots to some registered voters risks a discriminatory impact on people’s right to vote.”

The Trump administration expanded use of the problematic SAVE online system, which previously had been used only for public benefits and was not designed for verifying voter eligibility, in 2025 to now use it for these purposes.…