Bill requiring citizenship database checks for voter registration heads to governor's desk
A bill authorizing county election administrators to verify Tennessee voters’ immigration status through a federal database is on its way to the governor’s desk after Senate Republicans on Monday voted to approve the measure.
The bill (SB2204/HB2185) by Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson of Franklin and House Leader William Lamberth of Sumner County, both Republicans, is dependent on whether the United States Department of Homeland Security makes the data available to state election officials via a secure web service known as the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE).
Current law already requires voters to attest to their citizenship status when registering to vote: the state then verifies citizenship using state and federal data sources.
Johnson said the bill was intended to intercept potentially fraudulent registration at the point of voter registration.
https://tennesseelookout.com/2026/04/07/bill-requiring-citizenship-database-checks-for-voter-registration-heads-to-governors-desk/