Safeguard Honesty Integrity in Elections for Lasting Democracy (SHIELD) Act; create.

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To: Elections
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Senator(s) England, McLendon

SENATE BILL NO. 2588
(As Sent to Governor)

AN ACT TO BE KNOWN AS THE "SAFEGUARD HONEST INTEGRITY IN 1
ELECTIONS FOR LASTING DEMOCRACY (SHIELD) ACT"; TO AMEND SECTION 2
23-15-15, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REVISE THE PROCEDURE BY 3
WHICH A REGISTRAR VERIFIES AN APPLICANT'S CITIZENSHIP UPON RECEIPT 4
OF A COMPLETED VOTER REGISTRATION APPLICATION; TO REQUIRE THE 5
REGISTRAR TO ENTER EACH APPLICANT'S INFORMATION INTO THE UNITED 6
STATES CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION SERVICE'S SYSTEMATIC ALIEN 7
VERIFICATION FOR ENTITLEMENTS (SAVE); TO REQUIRE REGISTRARS TO 8
MAKE ANNUAL REPORTS TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE REGARDING THE NUMBER 9
OF APPLICANTS FLAGGED BY A SAVE SYSTEM CHECK AND THE NUMBER 10
REMOVED FOLLOWING CONFIRMATION; TO CREATE NEW SECTION 23-15-165.1, 11
MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THE SECRETARY OF STATE TO 12
CONDUCT AN ANNUAL COMPARISON OF THE STATEWIDE ELECTIONS MANAGEMENT 13
SYSTEM RECORDS WITH THE SAVE DATABASE AND TO REPORT INELIGIBLE 14
MATCHES TO THE APPROPRIATE ELECTION COMMISSIONER; TO CREATE NEW 15
SECTION 23-15-165.2, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THE 16
SECRETARY OF STATE TO ANNUALLY REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE ON THE 17
RESULTS ACHIEVED WITH THE SAVE SYSTEM; TO CREATE NEW SECTION 18
23-15-165.3, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO EXEMPT PERSONALLY 19
IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION COLLECTED THROUGH USE OF THE SAVE SYSTEM 20
FROM THE MISSISSIPPI PUBLIC RECORDS ACT OF 1983; TO CREATE NEW 21
SECTION 23-15-165.4, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE FOR 22
SEVERABILITY OF THE PROVISIONS OF THE PRECEDING SECTIONS; AND FOR 23
RELATED PURPOSES. 24
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 25
SECTION 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the 26
"Safeguard Honest Integrity in Elections for Lasting Democracy 27
(SHIELD) Act". 28
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SECTION 2. Section 23-15-15, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 29
amended as follows: 30
23-15-15. (1) * * * Upon receiving a completed voter 31
registration application, the registrar shall enter the applicant 32
into the Statewide Elections Management System. The registration 33
application shall be compared with the Department of Public Safety 34
driver's license and identification information. If such 35
information indicates that a particular applicant is not a citizen 36
of the United States, the Statewide Elections Management System 37
shall notify the registrar, or his or her designee, that the 38
applicant may not be a citizen of the United States. However, if 39
an applicant does not provide the applicant's driver's license 40
number on the application and the Statewide Elections Management 41
System is unable to retrieve the same from the Department of 42
Public Safety based on the other information provided, the 43
registrar shall follow the procedures set out in paragraph (a) of 44
this subsection and all other provisions of this section as if 45
information from the Department of Public Safety indicated the 46
applicant was a noncitizen. * * * After receiving the notice from 47
the Statewide Elections Management System as provided in * * * 48
this subsection, the registrar, or his or her designee, shall: 49
(a) Enter the applicant's information into the United 50
States Citizenship and Immigration Service's Systematic Alien 51
Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) or its successor database for 52
further inquiry; and 53
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(b) If * * * either of the databases in * * * this 54
subsection indicate that the applicant is not a citizen, send a 55
notice by first-class mail to the applicant's mailing address 56
provided on the voter registration application inquiring whether 57
the individual is eligible to be registered to vote. The 58
registrar may, in addition to first-class mail, contact the 59
applicant by email or telephone. 60
( * * *2) Any applicant who receives the notice under 61
paragraph (b) of subsection * * * (1) of this section shall, 62
within thirty (30) days of the receipt of such notice, provide 63
proof of citizenship to the registrar or his or her designee. 64
( * * *3) For purposes of this section, proof of citizenship 65
includes, but is not limited to: 66
(a) The applicant's birth certificate or a legible 67
photocopy of the birth certificate; 68
(b) A United States passport, or a legible photocopy of 69
the pertinent pages of the passport, identifying the applicant and 70
showing the passport number; 71
(c) The applicant's United States naturalization 72
documentation, a legible photocopy of the naturalization 73
documentation, or the number of the applicant's Certificate of 74
Naturalization; except that any person who provides the number of 75
the Certificate of Naturalization in lieu of the naturalization 76
documentation shall not be deemed to have provided proof of 77
citizenship until the number is verified with the United States 78
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Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland 79
Security or its successor; or 80
(d) Any document or method of proof of citizenship 81
established by the Federal Immigration Reform and Control Act of 82
1986, Public Law 99-603, compiled in 8 USC Section 1101 et seq. 83
( * * *4) If the applicant provides proof of citizenship and 84
meets all other qualifications provided by law, the registrar 85
shall register the applicant to vote. 86
( * * *5) If the applicant does not reply to the notice or 87
provide proof of citizenship, the registrar of the county, or his 88
or her designee, where the person registered to vote shall mark 89
the applicant as "PENDING" in the Statewide Elections Management 90
System * * *. 91
(a) A voter in pending status may cast an affidavit 92
ballot. The affidavit ballot shall be considered if the voter 93
provides the required documentation under subsection ( * * *3) of 94
this section to the registrar within five (5) days of casting the 95
affidavit ballot. 96
(b) If the applicant fails to respond to the notice or 97
cast an affidavit ballot and provide the proof described in 98
subsection ( * * *3) of this section * * * during the period 99
beginning on the date the notice was sent and ending on the day 100
after the date of the second general election for federal office 101
that occurs after the date of the notice, the registrar shall mark 102
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the applicant as "REJECTED" in the Statewide Elections Management 103
System. 104
(6) The registrar shall report to the Secretary of State on 105
an annual basis: 106
(a) The number of registrants flagged by a SAVE system 107
check; and 108
(b) The number removed following confirmation. 109
( * * *7) All documentation provided to show proof of 110
citizenship as well as the Department of Public Safety database or 111
relevant federal and state agency and county records shall be 112
confidential and shall not be subject to inspection, examination, 113
copying or reproduction under the Mississippi Public Records Act 114
of 1983. 115
SECTION 3. The following shall be codified as Section 116
23-15-165.1, Mississippi Code of 1972: 117
23-15-165.1. (1) The Secretary of State shall conduct a 118
check annually of Statewide Elections Management System records 119
against the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service's 120
Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) or its 121
successor database. The check must occur no later than one 122
hundred eighty (180) days before a regularly scheduled federal 123
general election. 124
(2) The Secretary shall transmit any potential ineligible 125
matches to the appropriate election commissioner, who shall send a 126
notice under Section 23-15-15 inquiring whether the individual is 127
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eligible to be registered to vote and place the voter in pending 128
verification status until the voter provides proof of citizenship 129
as outlined in subsections (2) through (5) of Section 23-15-15. 130
(3) A removal may not occur solely based on a SAVE match. 131
Cancellation may occur only upon failure to respond or 132
confirmation of ineligibility. 133
(4) A SAVE-based removal may not occur during the ninety 134
(90) days before a federal election. 135
SECTION 4. The following shall be codified as Section 136
23-15-165.2, Mississippi Code of 1972: 137
23-15-165.2. The Secretary of State shall submit an annual 138
report to the Legislature detailing: 139
(a) The number of registrants flagged by a SAVE system 140
check; 141
(b) The number removed following confirmation; and 142
(c) Recommendations for improvement. 143
SECTION 5. The following shall be codified as Section 144
23-15-165.3, Mississippi Code of 1972: 145
23-15-165.3. SAVE data must be used in compliance with 146
federal and state data protections laws. Personally identifiable 147
information is exempt from public disclosure under the Mississippi 148
Public Records Act of 1983 (Sections 25-61-1 through 25-61-19). 149
SECTION 6. The following shall be codified as Section 150
23-15-165.4, Mississippi Code of 1972: 151
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ST: Safeguard Honesty Integrity in Elections
for Lasting Democracy (SHIELD) Act; create.
23-15-165.4. If any provision of Sections 23-15-165.1 152
through 23-15-165.4 is held invalid, the remainder shall remain in 153
effect. 154
SECTION 7. This act shall take effect and be in force from 155
and after July 1, 2026. 156