{"id":2343207,"date":"2024-09-19T05:19:02","date_gmt":"2024-09-19T09:19:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dhs-not-helping-remove-noncitizens-from-voter-rolls-says-florida-election-chief-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-19T05:21:16","modified_gmt":"2024-09-19T09:21:16","slug":"dhs-not-helping-remove-noncitizens-from-voter-rolls-says-florida-election-chief-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dhs-not-helping-remove-noncitizens-from-voter-rolls-says-florida-election-chief-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"DHS not helping remove noncitizens from voter rolls, says Florida election chief &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdhs-not-helping-remove-noncitizens-from-voter-rolls-says-florida-election-chief-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2343207&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Florida&#8217;s Secretary\u200c of State, Cord Byrd, has \u2063accused the Biden administration&#8217;s\u2062 Department of\u2062 Homeland Security (DHS) of being uncooperative in\u2062 efforts to maintain accurate noncitizen voter \u2062rolls. During an interview, Byrd emphasized that the DHS&#8217;s \u200cimmigration database, known as the \u2064Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE), is crucial \u200bfor verifying the citizenship status of registered voters. However, he criticized the database for being unreliable\u2014outdated data and the high costs\u2063 associated with querying it hinder its effectiveness. Despite\u200d Florida&#8217;s proactive approach to leveraging this database, Byrd noted that \u200cthe Biden administration has\u2062 not provided the necessary support, leading to frustrations \u200bin filtering out noncitizens\u2063 from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-democrats-h-r-1-is-a-power-grab-would-undermine-states-election-rules\/\" title=\"Republicans: Democrats\u2019 H.R. 1 Is a Power Grab, Would Undermine States\u2019 Election Rules\">voter registration lists<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Byrd pointed out that other states, such as Texas and Virginia, have uncovered numerous noncitizens on their voter rolls. He mentioned \u200cthat in Florida,\u2062 while most\u2062 voters are \u200bregistered when obtaining \u200ca driver&#8217;s license, incorrect registrations can still occur, particularly through less rigorous application processes. \u2062Byrd has called for more cooperation from the federal government to improve the efficiency of verifying voter eligibility and\u200d ensuring compliance with voting laws. Meanwhile, some Republicans in\u200c Congress advocate for legislation requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration, a proposition opposed by Democrats\u200b as unnecessary.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Florida election chief says DHS &lsquo;not cooperative&rsquo; on noncitizen voter roll cases: &lsquo;Radio silent&rsquo;<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1763889\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/florida\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Florida\">Florida<\/a>&rsquo;s top election official is accusing the Biden administration of not being &ldquo;cooperative&rdquo; enough as Republican-led states attempt to remove noncitizens from their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/grenell-legal-action-plan-to-force-calif-election-boards-to-clean-up-their-voter-rolls\/\" title=\"Grenell: Legal action plan to force Calif. election boards to clean up their voter rolls\">voter rolls ahead<\/a> of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2024-elections\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>2024 election<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Secretary of State Cord Byrd said in an interview with the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> on Wednesday that the Department of Homeland Security&rsquo;s immigration database would be the best tool he uses to check the citizenship status of registered voters &mdash; if it were reliable.<\/p>\n<p>Byrd, who was appointed to his position by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in 2022, said Florida is one of a handful of states that uses the DHS dataset, known as the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, database, to see if immigrants have been naturalized.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd testifies about noncitizen voting in a hearing to the Committee on House Administration on Capitol Hill, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo\/John McDonnell)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The database was originally intended for federal and state governments to check whether a person was qualified for certain public benefits, but Florida was among the first states to begin using it about a decade ago to check voter eligibility.<\/p>\n<p>However, Byrd said, it costs money to query the database and can take weeks. He said DHS also does not keep the most up-to-date information in it about who has been naturalized, even as tens of thousands of Floridians gain citizenship each year.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not properly updated,&rdquo; Byrd said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s costly, and we have to have the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/one-in-four-illegal-aliens-released-into-u-s-without-registration-number\/\" title=\"One in Four Illegal Aliens Released Into U.S. Without Registration Number\">alien registration number<\/a> for it to give us a positive result, and many times, we get evidence of somebody being a noncitizen, but they don&rsquo;t have the alien registration number, so even where we can use [the database], we can&rsquo;t because states don&rsquo;t always have that information.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Byrd has since May, when he first testified before Congress on the matter, been imploring DHS to proactively give updated lists to states that show who has been naturalized, but the federal government refuses, he said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the only tool we have,&rdquo; Byrd said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve pretty much gone radio silent, as far as the Biden administration. They&rsquo;re not cooperative. They don&rsquo;t help us.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>DHS did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<p>Maintaining the voter rolls &mdash; that is, keeping a list of voters who are registered and eligible to vote &mdash; is a legal responsibility of secretaries of state.<\/p>\n<p>Through this process, some states, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3157696\/republicans-fight-for-citizenship-bill-reshape-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>including<\/a> Texas, Virginia, and Ohio, have discovered hundreds or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politifact.com\/factchecks\/2024\/aug\/29\/rick-scott\/sen-rick-scott-said-3-states-removed-thousands-of\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>thousands<\/a> of noncitizens on their voter rolls in recent years despite it being against the law for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. Byrd said that in the last month, his office has on a weekly basis flagged dozens of registered voters who could be noncitizens for counties to then screen and remove from the rolls, if necessary.<\/p>\n<p>In Florida, the vast majority of voters become registered to vote when they obtain a driver&rsquo;s license or other identification card from the state government. That weeds out most noncitizens, Byrd said, because Floridians need to provide citizenship information to the government agency at that time. If they are a noncitizen, they cannot move forward with their voter registration.<\/p>\n<p>However, if a person registers to vote outside of that process, the applicant merely checks off a box about their citizenship status on a form and signs it, swearing that it is truthful. Federal law prohibits states from asking for documentation of citizenship during this process.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans in Congress have been aggressively pushing legislation that would require voter registration applicants to provide a document proving their citizenship with their application, but Democrats have rejected the push as unnecessary.<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, secretaries of state must rely on various other state-level tools, such as jury selection reporting and driver&rsquo;s license data, to check for the citizenship status of registered voters. In Florida, if election officials identify a potential noncitizen, that person is afforded due process before he or she can be removed from the voter registration list.<\/p>\n<p>Better access to DHS&rsquo;s SAVE data would make the entire process of checking citizenship more efficient, Byrd said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We need [DHS] because only the federal government naturalizes citizens,&rdquo; Byrd said. &ldquo;They know every single person they naturalize.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Despite instances of noncitizens showing up on voter rolls, studies and data from the conservative Heritage Foundation, the Department of Justice, and think tanks such as the CATO Institute have all <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3157696\/republicans-fight-for-citizenship-bill-reshape-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>shown<\/a> that it is exceedingly rare for noncitizens to cast votes.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Byrd said that this year, among its roughly 13.5 million registered voters, Florida authorities have arrested two people over voting as noncitizens. Florida officials discover possible cases for prosecution during their routine voter roll checks when they see that a potential noncitizen may have at some point cast a ballot, Byrd said.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats have pointed to the infrequency of noncitizens voting to argue that it is not an issue worth addressing and would only cause disenfranchisement. Republicans, meanwhile, say that bolstering states&rsquo; ability to screen for citizenship would build voter confidence in election security.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1763889\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1763889\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Florida&#8217;s election chief has criticized the Biden administration for being &#8220;uncooperative&#8221; as Republican-led states work to eliminate noncitizens from their voter rolls in preparation for the 2024 election. In a recent interview with the Washington Examiner, Secretary of State Cord Byrd expressed that the Department of Homeland Security&#8217;s (DHS) immigration database would be an ideal resource for verifying registered voters&#8217; citizenship status, if it were more reliable. Appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis in 2022, Byrd noted that Florida is one of a few states utilizing the DHS dataset known as SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements) to determine whether immigrants have been naturalized.<\/p>\n<p>Originally designed to help governments assess eligibility for public benefits, Florida began using this database about ten years ago to verify voter eligibility. However, Byrd pointed out that querying this database incurs costs and can take weeks. He also mentioned that DHS does not maintain up-to-date records on naturalized citizens despite thousands gaining citizenship annually in Florida. &#8220;It\u2019s not properly updated,&#8221; he stated, adding that obtaining positive results often requires an alien registration number which many noncitizens lack.<\/p>\n<p>Since his testimony before Congress in May regarding this issue, Byrd has urged DHS to provide updated lists of naturalized citizens proactively but claims there has been little response from the federal government. &#8220;They\u2019ve pretty much gone radio silent,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Maintaining accurate voter rolls is a legal obligation for secretaries of state. Other states like Texas and Virginia have recently identified numerous noncitizens on their rolls despite laws prohibiting such voting in federal elections. Byrd reported that his office regularly flags potential noncitizen voters for counties to investigate further and potentially remove from registration lists.<\/p>\n<p>In Florida, most individuals register to vote when they obtain state-issued identification like a driver&#8217;s license\u2014this process typically filters out most noncitizens since applicants must provide proof of citizenship at that time. However, those who register outside this system only need to affirm their citizenship status on a form without providing documentation due to federal law restrictions.<\/p>\n<p>While Republicans are advocating legislation requiring proof of citizenship during voter registration applications\u2014an effort Democrats deem unnecessary\u2014secretaries of state currently rely on various local tools such as jury selection data and driver\u2019s license information for verification purposes.<\/p>\n<p>If election officials suspect someone may be a noncitizen, they are entitled to due process before removal from voter registration lists occurs. Better access to DHS&#8217;s SAVE data could streamline these checks significantly according to Byrd: \u201cWe need [DHS] because only the federal government naturalizes citizens; they know every single person they naturalize.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite some instances where noncitizens appear on voter rolls, research indicates it is quite rare for them actually to cast votes\u2014a point highlighted by studies from conservative organizations including Heritage Foundation and CATO Institute as well as data from the Department of Justice. This year alone among approximately 13.5 million registered voters in Florida, authorities arrested two individuals suspected of voting illegally as noncitizens after routine checks revealed possible infractions related to ballot casting.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats argue against prioritizing this issue given its rarity while asserting it risks disenfranchising eligible voters; Republicans counter by claiming enhanced screening measures would bolster public confidence in electoral integrity<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":2343208,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/AP24137648167303.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[7492,41203,13833,32643,32076],"class_list":["post-2343207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-dhs","tag-florida-election-chief","tag-noncitizens","tag-voter-rolls","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/AP24137648167303.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2343207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2343207"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2343207\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2343208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2343207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2343207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2343207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}