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Secretary of State defends SAVE checks, explains letters and library oversight
Summary
Secretary of State Hargett described the department’s use of the SAVE database, recovery of false positives and a thorough verification process before referrals; he also discussed election reimbursements, the Safe at Home program and library review letters.
Secretary of State Hargett and staff briefed the committee on election operations, the SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements) database pilot and steps taken after initial matches. The office said it mailed an outreach letter to roughly 14,000 registrants in a preliminary phase and identified 42 potential matches later referred for investigation; the department emphasized follow-up and verification before any law enforcement referral.
"We go through every possible way that we can to try and confirm the citizenship of that person before that's ever turned over," the secretary said, describing the internal checks and notices to registrants. Staff explained some of the initial letters yielded responses from citizens who did not recall being registered; follow-up data checks (including Department of Safety records and other sources) removed many names from the referral list. The department said it turned potential cases to the FBI and that the federal response and SAVE fixes improved the process.
Members also questioned the secretary about reimbursement mechanics for county election expenses (May primary reimbursements), the ongoing charitable filing system rollout and a set of 60‑day library review letters that drew concern from some senators about local burden and trust in local library leadership. The secretary said the department offered extensions when needed and that the intent was to increase local trust in collection curation.
