The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, also referred to as the SAVE America Act by Republicans, represents the administration's latest attempt to gather private voter information, this time with potentially stronger legal standing, according to an election rights lawyer.

This signature GOP election reform legislation mandates voter identification at polling places and requires proof of citizenship for voter registration. It follows over a year of persistent efforts by the Trump administration to centralize sensitive voter data from states into federal control.

The bill's text indicates it would require states to obtain private information from sources such as the Social Security Administration and state identification agencies to verify citizenship, with the goal of identifying non-citizen voters nationwide. President Trump has emphasized the bill's passage through the Senate, even withholding his signature from a bipartisan housing bill until the SAVE Act is approved.

Voting rights groups and former government officials have voiced opposition to the SAVE Act, citing concerns about consolidating election authority within the executive branch, a power they argue the nation's founders did not intend. Trump, however, has stated that opposition to the bill stems solely from a desire to enable "cheating."

The concept of a national voter registry is not new; Canada has maintained such a database since 1997. In the U.S., election administration is primarily a state responsibility, and establishing a national registry would necessitate congressional legislation. The current administration has reportedly been constructing a de facto registry by utilizing data from the Department of Homeland Security's central SAVE database, along with information from agencies like the IRS and Social Security Administration.

Furthermore, the Department of Justice has reportedly requested voter registration lists from nearly every state, which contain sensitive details such as voters' dates of birth, addresses, and the last four digits of their Social Security numbers. These requests have led to legal challenges from 30 states and Washington, D.C., over privacy concerns.

Previous attempts by the administration to consolidate voter information have faced significant legal setbacks. Judges have issued injunctions blocking or restricting executive orders related to election reform, and 16 Department of Justice efforts to collect voter data have been dismissed.

These ongoing legal battles and privacy concerns highlight the contentious nature of federal involvement in state-administered election processes and the collection of sensitive voter data.