Government : Senate passes series of bills requiring verification of citizenship status

By Robin Opsahl

Iowa senators approved a number of bills Wednesday related to citizenship verification using federal information.

The Senate approved Senate File 2203 in a 34-13 vote Wednesday, requiring the secretary of state to verify the citizenship status of each registered voter using the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database. If a person is not verified as a U.S. citizen through the SAVE database check, the Secretary of State’s office would provide notice to the county auditor, who would then designate this individual as having “unconfirmed” citizenship status.

The county auditor would be required to send notice to an individual about their status, providing information about how they can provide proof of citizenship, contact the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to correct information in the SAVE database, or to allow them to cancel their voter registration request. If a person does not provide proof of citizenship within 90 days of being designated as “unconfirmed,” their voter registration would be canceled.

Democrats said the measure could cause Iowans who can legally vote to be deemed ineligible because of problems with the SAVE database. Sen. Cindy Winckler, D-Davenport, said county auditors already vet people registering to vote using the individual’s Social Security number, driver’s license number, address and checking whether they are a felon.

Winckler said the system of verifying citizenship status of registered voters in “batch” amounts could lead to more people who can legally vote being listed as ineligible. As issues have been identified with using SAVE, Winckler said the system could also provide misleading information, “either because it incorrectly identifies someone as a noncitizen or fails to confirm immigration status — fueling false conspiracy theories about the integrity of the U.S. elections.”

Winckler also said Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate’s decision in 2024 to issue guidance to county auditors challenging the ballots of voters categorized as potential noncitizens showed the potential problems with this system. In March 2025, Pate released information finding 277 of the 2,176 people identified, based on them having identified themselves to the Iowa Department of Transportation or another government entity as noncitizens within the 12 years, as “potential noncitizens” did not have citizenship status. But Democrats and opponents who brought a legal challenge against Pate’s guidance said this information showed a vast majority of those listed were eligible voters.

Sen. Ken Rozenboom, R-Oskaloosa, responded to a question from Winckler on Pate’s guidance by pointing to the office’s report that 35 of the noncitizens correct identified successfully voted in the 2024 election, while five people without citizenship status who attempted to vote were unsuccessful.

He said he shared these numbers “to illustrate the need for continually cleaning up our voter registration lists.”

Rozenboom said USCIS information states the SAVE database has a 99.16% accuracy rate as of 2025, and that the system is linked with Social Security Administration data  and the U.S. passport database.

“It is a tool to use to help us clean up voter registration data,” Rozenboom said.

Verifying citizenship using the SAVE database was also a key component of three other bills that passed the Senate Wednesday.

Driver’s licenses and IDs

Some Democrats brought up similar concerns about the system’s inaccuracy during debate on Senate File 2187, which would require the Iowa DOT to use the database of each person applying for or renewing a driver’s license or nonoperator’s identification card who does not provide proof of citizenship. The DOT would not be allowed to give these IDs to individuals whose citizenship or immigration status cannot be verified under the bill, which passed 42-5.

Winckler said she had similar concerns about the SAVE database having “flaws” when considering people’s eligibility for driver’s licenses or nonoperator’s IDs, and creating situations where people need to return to the DOT multiple times with different documentation to prove their citizenship status.

“We absolutely want to assure that those who qualify to drive or qualify for a nonoperator’s license are eligible,” Winckler said. “But when we are using a flawed system to determine that, is that fair?”

Sen. Tim Kraayenbrink, R-Fort Dodge, who floor managed the bill, said he and his wife personally have had to make repeat visits to the DOT after forgetting certain documentation.

“My wife kind of put it off a little bit, because she didn’t want to get all that stuff together,” he joked.”But we still did. We still did. And we wanted to verify that we were citizens, so that we knew that our ID was up to date, and were able to travel, and do the things that we wanted to do.”

He also noted that in addition to the reported high accuracy rates of the SAVE system by USCIS, the bill also states a “successor program” can be used to verify citizenship, which could be even more accurate.

Government jobs, professional licenses

SAVE, as well as the federal E-Verify system, would also be used to verify the citizenship and legal status of people seeking state government jobs or professional and occupational licenses through the state. The bill, Senate File 2412, passed unanimously — as did Senate File 2218, a measure requiring the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners have applicants for new and renewing educational licenses provide evidence about their eligibility to work in the U.S. every five years to remain licensed.

This provision — amended to clarify that a person would have to show “legal authorization to work in the United States,” not “lawful presence” following subcommittee discussions — follows the immigration arrest of former Des Moines Public Schools superintendent Ian Roberts. The measure also requires public and charter school boards, as well as nonpublic school authorities, to verify the work authorization and identity of people who accept job offers at their schools.

The Senate also unanimously approved Senate File 2426, a bill requiring applicants for a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) to meet English proficiency standards through a computer-based exam, which must only be passed once. The bill also prohibits commercial motor carriers from employing or engaging the services of a driver who do not meet English proficiency standards.

President Donald Trump brought up CDLs in his State of the Union Tuesday, calling for Congress to pass a measure banning undocumented immigrants from obtaining commercial driver’s licenses.

During the speech, Trump made a comment about drivers’ English proficiency, saying “many, if not most, illegal aliens do not speak English and cannot read even the most basic road signs as to direction, speed, danger, or location.”

Trump signed an executive order in 2025 requiring all commercial truck drivers to demonstrate English proficiency, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced a regulatory change earlier in February requiring all CDL tests to be administered in English.