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

SB 2588, the SHIELD Act, requires Mississippi election officials to verify U.S. citizenship for voter registration applicants using the federal SAVE database when initial checks raise concerns. Officials must notify applicants to provide proof of citizenship (like birth certificates or passports), maintain records confidential, and submit annual reports to the Secretary of State on flagged applicants and removals. The law mandates yearly comparisons between state voter records and SAVE, exempts SAVE data from public disclosure under Mississippi’s public records law, and prohibits removals based solely on SAVE matches without verification. It affects election officials and applicants whose citizenship is questioned during registration, focusing on procedural verification without changing voter eligibility standards.