Secretary of State Tre Hargett announced on Monday that Tennessee had identified 42 potential non-citizens who voted in U.S. elections.
Tennessee will be referring these individuals to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for investigation, Hargett said.
The state used the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program to help identify these potential noncitizens. The program is an “online service for registered federal, state, territorial, tribal, and local government agencies to verify immigration status and U.S. citizenship of applicants seeking benefits or licenses,” according to the federal government.
Hargett noted that using the SAVE program helps Tennessee ensure that “only eligible U.S. citizens decide our elections.”
“We encourage every other state to take advantage of this opportunity to protect the votes of their citizens,” he added.
Earlier in October, President Donald Trump sent Hargett a letter thanking him for using the federal program and for his commitment to “safeguarding American elections.”
Trump told Hargett that he was “one of the first leaders to step up and protect the integrity of our elections” by using the SAVE program.
“I commend you for your decisive action,” Trump wrote.
The president also stated in his letter that only Americans should be casting a ballot in federal elections, calling it a “fundamental principle of our constitutional Republic.”
“The right of American citizens to have their votes properly counted, without illegal dilution, is a prerequisite for our Government to truly be representative,” Trump added.
The president also warned about how many states are “failing to enforce basic and necessary election laws.”
Trump said in his letter that he signed an executive order in March to reverse this by making the SAVE program available “free of charge” to state governments so they can “ensure only American citizens are registered to cast a ballot.”
“Safeguarding our election is a dual responsibility of the States and the Federal Government. This vital mission requires our partnership to be based on mutual trust and a shared commitment to our constitutional responsibilities,” Trump noted.
“My Administration has provided robust resources to all 50 states to fulfill in this area—and I expect your state will continue to use them wisely,” the president added.
As a state, Tennessee has some of the strongest election laws in the country. According to the Heritage Foundation’s Election Integrity Scorecard, Tennessee is tied with Arkansas as having America’s strongest election laws.
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at zschmidt1717@gmail.com.
Photo “People Voting” by Whitney. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
