Four Republican-led states have reached a settlement with the federal government over access to voter citizenship data. Florida, Indiana, Iowa and Ohio entered the agreement with the Department of Homeland Security, ending a legal dispute that began before the 2024 presidential election.
Under the settlement, those states will be allowed to use the federal government’s citizenship database — accessing voter information via name, birthdate and Social Security number — to verify that registered voters are U.S. citizens. In exchange, the states will share a sample of their driver’s license records with the federal government to help improve and modernize the verification system.
The program they’ll use, designed for verifying eligibility for public benefits, has recently been enhanced to allow bulk searches — meaning states can now run checks for thousands of voters at once. The updates also removed prior limitations, such as requiring a specific federal ID.
Supporters say this will help election officials confirm eligibility more efficiently. Critics warn that expanding the system could lead to wrongful removals of eligible voters, especially given concerns over data accuracy and the risk of mistakes when dealing with large-scale checks.
Going forward, the agreement requires the states to formalize memorandums of understanding with the federal government within 90 days. That framework will outline how the system will be used and how data sharing will work — potentially shaping how voter rolls are managed ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.