The Wisconsin Elections Commission voted unanimously earlier this month to prohibit the state’s approximately 1,800 municipal clerks from using the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program to check the citizenship status of registered voters. The decision effectively blocks local election officials from accessing a database maintained by the U.S. government since 1986, which allows state and local officials to verify citizenship for various public benefits and licenses.
The Commission stated that utilizing the SAVE program for voter verification would violate a state statute restricting the disclosure of voter registration information. However, the law includes an exemption permitting the transfer of voter data to law enforcement agencies or for law enforcement purposes. This ruling comes shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in September that the Trump administration had the authority to operate the expanded SAVE program for voter roll checks, despite pending litigation.
What the Right Is Saying
Conservative leaders and election integrity advocates view the Commission’s vote as a failure to uphold the rule of law and secure election integrity. Wisconsin State Senator André Jacque stated, "It is deeply frustrating to see the Wisconsin [Elections] Commission repeatedly oppose common sense attempts to clean up Wisconsin’s voter rolls and fight fraud." Jacque argued that the Commission is disregarding a clear provision in Wisconsin law that allows sharing voter lists with law enforcement agencies like the Department of Homeland Security.
Elections Commissioner Robert Spindell, who voted with the majority despite personal reservations, stated he "disagreed with the rationale for not cooperating" with the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security. The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty has proposed an audit of the state’s voter rolls, a measure that Democratic Governor Tony Evers vetoed in April 2026. Evers argued that such audits would place an "additional burden" on citizens. Republican candidate Jay Schroeder has centered his campaign on increasing election integrity efforts within the state.
What the Left Is Saying
Democratic officials and advocates argue that the Commission’s decision is necessary to protect voter privacy and prevent unnecessary burdens on eligible voters. Elections Commission Chair Don Millis stated that while not all lawmakers support independent citizenship verification, the Commission is adhering to current state law. "We appreciate that not all lawmakers will support an independent citizenship verification process that provides Wisconsin voter data to federal agencies," Millis wrote in a letter to legislative leadership. "However, if the Legislature chooses to pursue such a process, it is my hope that lawmakers appreciate the need to explicitly authorize data sharing and delineate responsibilities between jurisdictions."
JoCasta Zamarripa, the Democratic candidate for Wisconsin Secretary of State, has prioritized expanding access to driver’s licenses for noncitizens, a policy that facilitates online voter registration for eligible residents. Zamarripa characterized efforts by her Republican opponent, Jay Schroeder, to increase election integrity measures as an attempt to "undermine our elections." Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Crowley also expressed support for expanding benefits to noncitizens and stated he would not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, noting, "I’m not an ally. I’m an accomplice," when asked about his stance on illegal immigration.
What the Numbers Show
The Wisconsin Elections Commission’s vote was unanimous, affecting roughly 1,800 municipal clerks across the state. The decision follows a September Supreme Court ruling where the justices voted 6-3 to allow the Trump administration to continue operating its expanded SAVE program. Estimates cited in the debate suggest there could be as many as 70,000 undocumented immigrants currently living in Wisconsin. In a demonstration of how narrow margins can be, the state’s August 2026 Democratic gubernatorial primary was decided by fewer than 3,500 votes.
The SAVE program has been maintained by the federal government since 1986. In 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order integrating SAVE with the Social Security Administration to check voter rolls. Opponents filed suits to block the order, but the Supreme Court’s recent ruling affirmed the administration's authority to proceed with the verification process amid ongoing legal challenges.
The Bottom Line
The Commission’s decision creates a legal and operational conflict between state privacy interpretations and federal election integrity initiatives. With the November general election approaching, the inability of local clerks to use the SAVE database means that citizenship verification for new registrants may rely on other state mechanisms or federal law enforcement requests. The issue is likely to remain a central point of contention in the upcoming gubernatorial and Secretary of State races, with Republicans pushing for legislative changes to authorize data sharing and Democrats defending the Commission’s statutory interpretation.