Requires the Department of Elections to participate in the federal SAVE Program to verify citizenship of registered voters and to enter into a memorandum of agreement with USCIS, so more state use of federal immigration data for voter eligibility checks.
The Department shall apply to participate in the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements Program (SAVE Program) operated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for the sole purpose of individually verifying that voters listed in the Virginia voter registration system are United States citizens. Upon approval of the application, the Department shall enter into any required memorandum of agreement with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Authorizes use of SAVE Program data to delete non-citizen voters from rolls but prohibits using it as sole reason to reject a registration application, prohibits bulk uploads of voter lists, and limits data transfer to DHS, so mixed effects on immigration enforcement in elections.
The Department shall not (i) use information received from the SAVE Program as the sole reason for rejecting a registration application, (ii) upload lists of registered voters to the SAVE Program for verifying their citizenship status in bulk, or (iii) transfer any information to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security or any subdivision thereof beyond the minimum information necessary to use the SAVE Program for the purpose provided in this subsection.
✓ Quote verified word for word in the bill text
Filed (completed)
Committee
Passed one chamber
Passed both
Governor
Law
Status: Died (session ended)
Last action
2026-02-13: Incorporated by Privileges and Elections (HB972-Price) (Voice Vote)
Why the model tagged it this way: The bill requires the Department of Elections to join the federal SAVE Program and execute a memorandum of agreement with USCIS to verify voter citizenship using immigration status data (expanding state-federal cooperation for enforcement in elections), while adding limits on how the data may be used and shared (mixed overall for the immigration-enforcement topic). No provisions address firearms, transgender issues, or abortion.
Related bills
HB28Voter registration; regular periodic review of registration records.↑Expands immigration enforcement Passed one chamber