Alabama Case Examines Noncitizen Voting

By
Billy Costigan
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As Republicans continue pressing the Senate to pass the SAVE America Act, supporters of the legislation are pointing to a case in Alabama as evidence that existing safeguards do not always prevent noncitizens from registering and voting in U.S. elections.

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act has already passed the House of Representatives three times but has stalled in the Senate. The legislation would require applicants registering to vote in federal elections to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport.

Supporters argue the measure would strengthen election integrity by reducing reliance on existing verification databases that may not immediately identify every ineligible registrant. Opponents have raised concerns that additional documentation requirements could create obstacles for eligible voters who do not readily possess those records.

One case in Alabama has become a centerpiece of the debate.


In 2023, Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen announced that his office had identified 3,251 registered voters who had previously been assigned noncitizen identification numbers by the Department of Homeland Security. Allen acknowledged at the time that some individuals on the list may have since become naturalized U.S. citizens and emphasized that eligible voters would have an opportunity to update their records.

Allen also said his office encountered resistance while attempting to verify the registrations during the Biden administration.

After President Donald Trump returned to office, Alabama officials partnered with the federal government to access the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, database. Using that system, Allen’s office announced in January 2026 that it had removed 186 noncitizens from Alabama’s voter rolls. A federal judge later blocked the state’s continued use of that verification program.

According to Allen’s office, investigators determined that 25 of those individuals had also cast ballots in Alabama elections.


One of those cases resulted in a criminal conviction.

On June 5, Allen announced that 45-year-old Mexican national Homero Ramos pleaded guilty to two counts of fraudulent voting after authorities alleged he voted in Alabama’s 2022 and 2024 general elections despite not being a U.S. citizen.

“Earlier this year, my Office referred 25 noncitizens who illegally voted in Alabama elections to federal law enforcement authorities,” Allen said in a statement. “A noncitizen residing in Marion County, who registered to vote prior to my election as Secretary of State, has pleaded guilty to two counts of fraudulent voting.”

Allen added that his office would continue referring similar cases to federal authorities while praising the Trump administration’s emphasis on election integrity.

Questions remained, however, about how Ramos was able to register in the first place.

According to the Department of Justice, Ramos told investigators he accompanied two associates who said they could help him register to vote in Marion County. The DOJ said Ramos did not disclose that he was not a U.S. citizen during the registration process and instead presented an Alabama driver’s license.


Under Alabama regulations, certain driver’s licenses containing citizenship indicators may be accepted during voter registration, while applicants must also certify under penalty of law that they are U.S. citizens.

Federal prosecutors also pointed to another Alabama case involving Canadian national Franc Neil Maloney, who was charged earlier this year with allegedly voting in nine state and federal elections despite not being a U.S. citizen. According to local reporting cited by the DOJ, Maloney was already facing unrelated criminal charges at the time.

Republicans argue cases like those demonstrate why Congress should require documentary proof of citizenship before voter registration is approved rather than relying primarily on post-election audits and voter roll maintenance.

Rep. Riley Moore of West Virginia told Breitbart News that election integrity remains one of the Republican Party’s highest priorities and said House Republicans intend to attach the SAVE America Act to the annual National Defense Authorization Act in an effort to advance the legislation.

“This will be a top issue for any Republican that you talk to,” Moore said, adding that support spans the party’s ideological spectrum.


President Trump has also made the legislation a central part of his election integrity agenda. During his Independence Day address celebrating America’s 250th anniversary, he again called on Congress to approve the measure while urging Senate Republicans to pursue procedural options that could allow the bill to pass with a simple majority.

“All voters must provide a little thing called proof of citizenship,” Trump told the crowd. “And there will be no mail-in ballots except for illness, disability, military deployment, or travel. And you won’t have cheating on the elections anymore. It’s very simple.”

With the legislation stalled in the Senate, individual cases like those in Alabama are likely to remain at the center of the debate as lawmakers continue arguing over whether existing safeguards are sufficient or whether additional federal requirements are needed.

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