The Trump administration has, for the first time ever, built a searchable national citizenship data system.

The tool, which is being rolled out in phases, is designed to be used by state and local election officials to give them an easier way to ensure only citizens are voting. But it was developed rapidly without a public process, and some of those officials are already worrying about what else it could be used for.

NPR is the first news organization to report the details of the new system.

For decades, voting officials have noted that there was no national citizenship list to compare their state lists to, so to verify citizenship for their voters, they either needed to ask people to provide a birth certificate or a passport — something that could disenfranchise millions — or use a complex patchwork of disparate data sources.

  • BrianTheeBiscuiteer@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    With everything he does the issue is the implementation. Deport criminal aliens? I’m all for it, but most of the deportees have no criminal record or they accuse them of crimes as if it’s the same thing as a conviction.

    Part of Trump’s grand plan is to make federal elections span only a single day. So maybe you check your status the day before and everything is fine, but the day of voting a glitch in the system says it can’t verify your citizenship. That’s it! No votes for you this year!

    • gian @lemmy.grys.it
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      1 day ago

      Part of Trump’s grand plan is to make federal elections span only a single day.

      Don’t see the problem. For years in Italy elections were a one day only events (normally a Sunday) and everything worked fine.

      So maybe you check your status the day before and everything is fine, but the day of voting a glitch in the system says it can’t verify your citizenship. That’s it! No votes for you this year!

      There are solutions since the system need to be resilient, note that the glitch could be even not “wanted” so while you can think that $HATED_CANDIDATE want to keep his opponents away from the voting, in the same way $HATED_CANDIDATE want to make sure that his supporters can vote.

    • FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.au
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      2 days ago

      Deport criminal aliens? I’m all for it, but most of the deportees have no criminal record or they accuse them of crimes as if it’s the same thing as a conviction.

      Illegal immigration is a crime.

              • InternetCitizen2@lemmy.world
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                2 hours ago

                If they are selling method then simple police work is needed to catch them. No need for ICE. Be intellectually honest, you know selling meth isn’t really happening.

              • Lemminary@lemmy.world
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                8 hours ago

                Is selling meth “wanting a better life and pulling your bootstrap”?

                Technically, yes, because it leaves a lot of money. Funny way of saying you have never worked a slave-wage job in your life. But immigrants aren’t selling meth, though, because that would be a FEDERAL crime and not a CIVIL OFFENSE. Curious comparison to reach for immediately.

                • FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.au
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                  6 hours ago

                  You said that commuting a crime of wanting a better life is ok, so I asked if wanting a better life by selling meth is ok……and you said yes….so yeah, your opinion isn’t really necessary after that.

          • tocopherol@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            12 hours ago

            “Improper entry” through illegally crossing a border is a crime, but the majority of undocumented immigrants in the US don’t enter that way. “Unlawful presence” after a visa expires or is denied receives civil penalties rather than criminal, meaning they can’t lead to imprisonment but only fines or a court action like deportation.

            • FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.au
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              11 hours ago

              but the majority of undocumented immigrants in the US don’t enter that way.

              Doubt, especially given what we saw from 2021-early 2025.

          • Lemminary@lemmy.world
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            8 hours ago

            Parking illegally is a crime, bub.

            Not surprised a MAGAt can’t weigh not only the severity of the crime, but the motivations, its consequences, its long history, and overall social impact, and still decide they would rather lick boots instead. Good luck picking all that fruit in Texas and constructing those homes after a hurricane in Florida, though, champ. Send pics of your proud & hard work.