On September 25, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the federal government to keep using an expanded voter-checking system called SAVE while a court case continues.
SAVE can be used to check whether someone is a U.S. citizen. Voting-rights groups are challenging the expanded system because some government records can be incomplete or out of date.
But one important rule is still in place for the November 3 election: states cannot conduct large-scale voter-roll removals this close to a federal election.
For Michigan voters, the most important thing to know is that your voting options have not changed. You can still check your registration, vote absentee, vote early, or vote on Election Day.
What is the SAVE system?
SAVE stands for Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements.
For decades, the federal government used SAVE primarily to verify immigration and citizenship information for public-benefit programs. In 2025, the Department of Homeland Security expanded the system by adding access to Social Security Administration records and allowing state and local governments to use it for voter citizenship checks.
The expanded system also allows officials to search multiple records at once.
Voting-rights and privacy organizations challenged those changes in federal court. They argued that the expanded system violated federal law and could rely on incomplete or outdated information that incorrectly identifies eligible U.S. citizens.
A federal district court agreed and blocked the modifications. The federal government appealed.
On September 25, the Supreme Court temporarily paused the lower court’s ruling, allowing the modified SAVE system to operate while the case continues.
Why are voting-rights organizations concerned?
One concern is the accuracy of the information being used.
Social Security records do not always contain current citizenship information. For example, someone may receive a Social Security number before becoming a U.S. citizen. After that person naturalizes, their citizenship information may not automatically be updated in Social Security records.
That means an eligible voter could potentially be flagged for additional review based on information that is incomplete or out of date.
The legal challenge to the expanded SAVE system is continuing.
What does this mean for the November 3 election?
The Supreme Court‘s ruling does not remove an existing federal protection against systematic voter-roll removals close to an election.
Federal law says states cannot run large programs to remove voters from the registration rolls during the 90 days before a federal election.
The Supreme Court specifically said that restriction remains in effect.
That means the expanded SAVE system can currently be used for individual citizenship checks, but states cannot use it to conduct systematic mass voter-roll removals before the November 3 election.
After the election, states may be able to use SAVE for larger checks of voter registration lists while the court case continues.
What should Michigan voters do now?
This ruling does not change the basic steps Michigan voters can take to get ready for the November 3 election.
Check your voter registration now. Visit mi.gov/vote and make sure your registration is active and your address is correct.
If something does not look right, contact your city or township clerk.
Then make your voting plan. Michigan voters can choose from several voting options, including absentee voting, in-person early voting, and voting at their polling place on Election Day.
If you plan to vote absentee from home, request and return your ballot as early as possible. Absentee voting is already underway in Michigan.
You can also use mi.gov/vote to find your clerk, check your registration, track an absentee ballot, find early voting information, and locate your Election Day polling place.
If you have a problem or question about voting
If you discover a problem with your voter registration, receive information questioning your eligibility, or have another voting-related concern, you can contact the nonpartisan Election Protection Hotline:
You do not have to wait until Election Day to ask for help.
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