[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 85 (Thursday, June 7, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H3584]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   MAINTAINING INTEGRITY IN ELECTIONS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Nugent) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. NUGENT. Mr. Speaker, I think we can all agree that the integrity 
of our elections is of fundamental importance to our democracy. We need 
to ensure that everyone who is eligible to vote has the ability to 
vote, and those that are ineligible to vote are stopped from voting in 
our elections.
  We also have the responsibility to ensure that this responsibility 
falls largely on the States to ensure that voters have the right to 
vote that are eligible to. They do this by making sure that their voter 
rolls are clean, that their voter rolls are accurate. It's important 
that States have the ability to do that.
  In my own State of Florida and others throughout this country, the 
Federal Government is being asked to help.

                              {time}  1030

  The Department of Homeland Security, in particular, has been 
unwilling to help those States that are asking for it.
  Mr. Speaker, DHS is denying Florida the process to access what is 
called the Systematic Alienation Verification Entitlement database, or 
SAVE, as it's commonly referred to. SAVE undoubtedly is the best 
database for the States to use to cross-reference and cross-check their 
voter rolls for eligible or ineligible voters.
  DHS is denying us access to this database, despite its own documents 
and regulations clearly stating that SAVE, for voter registration 
purposes, is one of the permissible uses. This is within their own 
documents as it relates to the operation of DHS. By denying access to 
the SAVE database, DHS is preventing States from ensuring to the best 
of their ability that the integrity of our elections is saved and 
preserved.
  As we move forward with appropriations for Homeland Security, I feel 
we need to acknowledge the DHS refusal to meet this basic need and a 
basic request of our States. DHS' stonewalling is not something the 
people of Florida deserve, and it certainly isn't something that 
elected officials should tolerate.
  Mr. Speaker, Floridians should not be denied the right to the fairest 
and most accurate elections possible. Floridians' votes should not be 
diminished because of political maneuvering by a Federal agency. No 
vote should be counted when it's cast by someone who is not eligible to 
vote in the United States, vis-a-vis, they're not a citizen of this 
country.
  DHS, through their SAVE program, has the ability to pass that 
information on to States. Florida is not the only State that has 
requested this information from DHS. DHS has, I believe, an ethical 
responsibility to provide that information because it's contained 
within their own bylaws and operation procedures within the Department 
of Homeland Security; and they have just stonewalled the States in 
regard to them trying to make sure their voter rolls are the most 
accurate possible.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe that they are doing a disservice to the 
American public. Every vote should count. Every vote should count, and 
DHS should be required to submit the information to the States so they 
can make sure that their voter rolls are as accurate as possible.

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