Secretary of State Cole Jester Finds Hundreds of Illegal Voters through SAVE Program

(LITTLE ROCK, ARK.) – On Thursday, October 30, 2025, Arkansas Secretary of State Cole Jester announced his office has identified up to 240 noncitizens illegally registered to vote in Arkansas by using the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program.

The SAVE program is a federal verification system maintained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It enables states to confirm the immigration and citizenship status of individuals who have applied for voter registration. Through the SAVE program, the Arkansas Secretary of State's Office cross-references voter registration information directly with federal records to ensure only eligible U.S. citizens and lawful residents are registered to vote.

This verification system is a critical tool for strengthening election integrity and protecting taxpayer-funded programs. The SAVE program provides Arkansas with reliable, federally-sourced data that helps prevent unlawful registrations, reduces fraud risk, and ensures that every legal vote counts while maintaining accuracy and fairness in the voter roll process.

“When it comes to people registered to vote illegally in Arkansas, one is too many," said Secretary of State Cole Jester. "My office will never settle for anything less than excellence. That is how we became the number one state for election security, and that is how we are going to stay there. I am deeply thankful to my elections team and the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security.”