Tennessee Governor Signs Law Requiring Federal Database Voter Citizenship Checks
New Tennessee law would require county officials to check voter citizenship against federal SAVE database when it becomes available in 2028.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE — Governor Bill Lee has signed legislation requiring county election officials to verify voter citizenship through a federal database if one becomes available, establishing new registration requirements set to take effect in 2028.
The law, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson of Franklin and House Leader William Lamberth of Sumner County, both Republicans, passed along party lines during the recent legislative session with minimal debate. The measure aligns with the Trump administration’s push for stricter citizenship verification in voter registration processes.
Under the new requirements, Tennessee voter registrations would be cross-checked against the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program if the U.S. Department of Homeland Security creates a secure portal for county election administrators. The SAVE database currently verifies eligibility for certain public benefits.
Supporters Cite Election Integrity
Republican lawmakers who championed the legislation argued the additional verification process strengthens Tennessee’s election security measures. The bill mirrors similar efforts in other states to implement more rigorous citizenship checks for voter registration.
Tennessee already requires prospective voters to attest to their citizenship status during registration, with the state subsequently verifying that information using existing state and federal databases.
Opposition Raises Accuracy Concerns
The League of Women Voters of Tennessee opposed the measure, with critics calling it “an answer in search of a problem that does not exist.”
Debby Gould, president of the League of Women Voters of Tennessee, said her organization has consistently opposed using the SAVE database for voter verification due to documented error rates in the system.
States that have implemented SAVE checks for voter registration have experienced significant problems with accuracy. In Texas, election officials mistakenly flagged legitimate voters as non-citizens at rates reaching 14% in some counties, according to reports from the Texas Tribune.
Implementation Timeline
The law will only take effect if the Department of Homeland Security establishes the required secure access portal for county elections officials. Should that federal infrastructure be developed, Tennessee counties would begin using the SAVE database verification process in 2028.
The legislation represents Tennessee’s latest effort to tighten voter registration requirements, building on existing state verification procedures that officials say already protect election integrity while ensuring eligible citizens can exercise their voting rights.
