COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio has reached a long-term agreement with the federal government that will give the state access to a federal immigration database used to verify the citizenship status of registered voters, Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced Monday.

The 20-year agreement provides Ohio with no-cost use of the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system, which is maintained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The database was originally developed to determine eligibility for federal public benefits.

“Ohio has a duty to ensure that only U.S. citizens are registered to vote, and this agreement gives us the tools to do that job right,” LaRose said in a statement. He also credited the Trump administration for helping to finalize the deal.

The agreement come

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