WASHINGTON — A U.S. House committee has launched an inquiry into Maryland’s voter registration system after discovering that a Guyanese national with a federal firearms charge registered to vote in Prince George’s County despite lacking U.S. citizenship.
The House Administration Committee, led by Chair Bryan Steil, R-Wis., and Elections Subcommittee Chair Laurel Lee, R-Fla., sent a letter Thursday to Maryland State Board of Elections Administrator Jared DeMarinis. The correspondence demands details on the registration history of Ian Andre Roberts, 54, a former Des Moines, Iowa, public schools superintendent arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Sept. 26, 2025, in Iowa.
Roberts faces a federal charge of being an illegal alien in possession of firearms, filed Oct. 2, 2025, by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa. Authorities found a loaded Glock 9mm pistol, a fixed-blade hunting knife and $3,000 cash in his vehicle during the arrest. He had sped away from officers before abandoning the car and hiding in nearby brush, where Iowa State Patrol assisted in his apprehension.
The case surfaced publicly in late September when ICE revealed Roberts’ extensive criminal history, including a 2022 Pennsylvania conviction for unlawful possession of a loaded firearm, a 2020 New York weapons possession charge and earlier offenses dating to the 1990s in New York for drug trafficking and unauthorized vehicle use. Despite a final removal order and expired work authorization from 2020, Roberts had led Iowa’s largest school district since 2023 after serving as a principal in Baltimore schools.
Maryland records indicate Roberts registered as a Democrat in Prince George’s County at least twice, in 2011 and 2016, falsely affirming U.S. citizenship under penalty of perjury on both applications. He has not cast a ballot in any Maryland election, according to state officials.
The committee’s letter highlights two instances of redactions in Roberts’ public records released under the National Voter Registration Act. Initial documents from Prince George’s County in November 2025 blacked out Roberts’ response to the citizenship affirmation question, along with his sex and date of birth. A subsequent release omitted the application source, such as whether it came via mail, online or in person.
“Based on this information, the Committee is concerned about the integrity and accuracy of Maryland’s citizenship verification processes, and therefore the state’s voter rolls,” the lawmakers wrote.
The 10-question letter seeks clarification on Roberts’ initial registration method, his current active status, procedures for detecting and purging ineligible voters, and whether Maryland employs the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program, or SAVE. SAVE allows agencies to confirm immigration status using partial Social Security numbers or other identifiers against federal databases.
It also questions the redactions’ rationale and whether the State Board of Elections has reviewed the incident or proposed procedural changes. A response is due by Dec. 18, 2025.
Wendy N. Honesty-Bey, Prince George’s County election administrator, stated that her office adheres to federal and state election laws, including the Maryland Code of Regulations. After a legal review of a Maryland Public Information Act request and consultation with state officials, the county concluded the records “could not be redacted” and released the full versions immediately.
Unredacted documents, obtained by conservative groups Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections and the American Accountability Foundation after threats of litigation, confirm Roberts checked “yes” to U.S. citizenship on both forms. The groups argued the initial redactions violated federal disclosure rules.
Maryland’s voter registration process relies on self-attestation of eligibility. Applicants must affirm citizenship under penalty of perjury on forms submitted online via the state’s Online Voter Registration system, by mail or in person at motor vehicle or elections offices. Required identifiers include a Maryland driver’s license number, the last four digits of a Social Security number or an affirmation of lacking both.
The state verifies identities against Motor Vehicle Administration and Social Security Administration databases but does not routinely cross-check citizenship claims with immigration records like SAVE. Registration becomes permanent unless an address changes or inactivity triggers review. Local boards handle maintenance, flagging potential issues from sources such as returned mail, jury exemptions or death records.
State law mandates cancellation for noncitizens upon discovery, with penalties up to 10 years in prison for false registration. Federal law caps noncitizen voting penalties at one year. Experts estimate such incidents are rare nationwide, with audits showing minimal impact on outcomes.
Advocates for stricter measures, including the Maryland Freedom Caucus, have proposed bills requiring documentary proof of citizenship, such as passports or birth certificates, and mandatory SAVE integration. One measure, sponsored by Del. Kevin Hornberger, R-Cecil, would tie verification to the federal program, which processed 46 million queries in 2025 after upgrades allowing partial Social Security inputs.
Opponents argue such requirements could disenfranchise naturalized citizens or those without easy document access, particularly in rural Southern Maryland areas like Leonardtown or Prince Frederick, where transportation to offices poses challenges. The state’s Online Voter Registration system, updated in 2023, now processes applications in under 24 hours for most, with mobile-friendly interfaces aiding users in remote communities.
Nationally, 26 states use or are implementing SAVE for elections, per USCIS data. Maryland has explored pilots but cited privacy concerns and error risks in databases like Customs and Border Protection’s systems. A November 2025 USCIS enhancement added motor vehicle data to SAVE, boosting conclusive responses to 97% of queries and enabling batch processing for large rolls.
The Roberts inquiry stems from broader Republican-led efforts, including the SAVE Act passed by the House in July 2025 but stalled in the Senate. It would mandate proof of citizenship for federal voting, building on existing bans. In Maryland, municipalities like Takoma Park have permitted noncitizen voting in local elections since 1993, limited to city races and separate from state rolls.
Prince George’s County, Maryland’s second-most populous jurisdiction with over 967,000 residents, processed 48,000 absentee ballots in 2024 and maintains 650,000 active voters. Its elections office, housed in Upper Marlboro, coordinates with 25 polling sites and emphasizes bilingual materials in Spanish and Amharic to serve diverse neighborhoods near Southern Maryland’s tri-county line.
The House committee, under House Rule X, oversees federal election laws and has subpoena authority if responses lag. Steil’s office noted similar probes in other states, aiming to inform 2026 legislation. DeMarinis’ team, based in Annapolis, has not commented publicly but affirmed compliance with disclosure laws.
As the Dec. 18 deadline approaches, the response could reveal whether Roberts’ case prompts statewide audits or SAVE adoption, potentially reshaping verification in jurisdictions from Solomons to Hughesville.