Por Renan Filho · 2026-09-29**Lead**
The U.S. State Department is weighing a policy that would allow state election officials to access passport application records to verify the citizenship status of registered voters, according to multiple sources familiar with internal discussions. The move, still in early stages, aims to address long-standing concerns about non-citizens voting in federal elections, though such instances are exceedingly rare. If implemented, the data-sharing arrangement could fundamentally alter how states conduct voter registration checks ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
**Context**
Under current law, states are responsible for maintaining voter rolls and verifying eligibility. Most rely on information from driver’s licenses, Social Security records, and self-reported citizenship declarations. However, these sources are not always reliable or consistent. Passport records, by contrast, are considered a gold-standard proof of U.S. citizenship because applicants must submit a birth certificate or naturalization certificate. The State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs holds data on more than 150 million active and expired passports.
The idea of using federal citizenship databases for voter verification is not new. The Help America Vote Act of 2002 required states to implement statewide voter registration databases and to match records against state motor vehicle and Social Security databases. But it did not mandate access to passport records. In recent years, several Republican-led states have requested that the federal government share citizenship data to purge non-citizens from voter rolls. The Department of Homeland Security already operates the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program, which allows states to verify immigration status for benefit eligibility, but it does not cover passport records.
According to internal documents reviewed by other news organizations, the State Department’s legal office has been analyzing the Privacy Act of 1974 and the Passport Act of 1926 to determine whether sharing passport data for election purposes is permissible. The department has also consulted with the Department of Justice and the Election Assistance Commission. A key concern is that passport applications contain sensitive personal information, including place of birth, parents’ names, and photographs, which could be misused if shared broadly.
**Analysis**
The potential policy has drawn sharp reactions from civil liberties groups and voting rights advocates. They argue that even a well-intentioned citizenship verification system could disenfranchise eligible voters due to data errors or mismatches. For example, a naturalized citizen whose passport was issued under a maiden name might not match a voter registration record. Similarly, U.S. citizens born abroad who hold a Consular Report of Birth Abroad but not a passport could be flagged incorrectly. Privacy experts warn that centralizing citizenship data for election purposes creates a tempting target for hackers and could lead to surveillance of lawful voters.
Proponents, including some election integrity organizations, contend that the current system leaves too much room for error and that passport records offer a definitive check. They point to isolated cases of non-citizens registering to vote, often inadvertently, as evidence that additional safeguards are needed. However, studies have consistently shown that non-citizen voting is extremely rare in federal elections, with most documented instances involving individuals who mistakenly believed they were eligible. The Brennan Center for Justice, for instance, found that the rate of non-citizen voting in 2016 was between 0.0001% and 0.002%.
Beyond the privacy and accuracy concerns, the proposal faces significant legal hurdles. The Privacy Act generally prohibits federal agencies from disclosing records without the individual’s consent, unless a specific statutory exception applies. The State Department would need either a new law from Congress or a reinterpretation of existing authorities to proceed. Some legal scholars argue that the National Voter Registration Act already allows states to request citizenship verification from federal agencies, but the passport database has never been used for this purpose. Any attempt to share records could invite lawsuits from privacy advocates and state attorneys general.
**Sources**
The information in this report is based on internal documents and discussions described by individuals familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the policy publicly. Additional context was drawn from publicly available records of the U.S. Department of State, the Election Assistance Commission, and previous reporting by The Associated Press and The Washington Post on related voter verification efforts. No direct quotes from officials were used, as the policy remains under internal review and no formal announcement has been made.