DOJ is suing states for sensitive voter data − an election law scholar explains why federal efforts are facing resistanc

[marmar]

The Department of Justice is suing states for sensitive voter data − an election law scholar explains why federal efforts are facing resistance
Published: April 1, 2026 8:49am EDT

John J. Martin
Assistant Professor of Law, Quinnipiac University


(The Conversation) In May 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice began sending letters to state governments demanding copies of statewide voter registration lists. The request was unprecedented: It demanded not only publicly available voter data, such as names and addresses, but also sensitive information, including driver’s license and Social Security numbers.

That data is considered highly sensitive because it can be used to commit identity theft, access financial or government records, and facilitate targeted harassment or intimidation, particularly if the data were mishandled or leaked.

....(snip)....

States have responded in a variety of ways. Some have fully complied with the requests, some partially complied, and many outright refused to provide any voter information. For the latter states, the Trump administration has taken the fight to court and sued to get the information, claiming that federal law requires the states to hand it over.

....(snip)....

Link to tweet

In the 29 targeted states, federal courts have thus far dismissed four lawsuits in California, Georgia, Michigan and Oregon. Oklahoma, as noted above, has settled its case with the DOJ. While the remaining lawsuits have yet to fully play out, the DOJ likely faces less-than-sympathetic judges in these cases. ....................(more)

https://theconversation.com/the-department-of-justice-is-suing-states-for-sensitive-voter-data-an-election-law-scholar-explains-why-federal-efforts-are-facing-resistance-278512

[FakeNoose]

1. They won't get Pennsylvania's voter list as long as Josh Shapiro is our Governor

Josh Shapiro was our Attorney General before he ran for Governor, and he's been fighting this since Chump 1.0.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

2. Trump may have accidentally torpedoed his own bid to seize voter rolls: analyst

I am still pissed that Texas gave trump all of Texas' voter information. The trump DOJ has sued 20+ states trying to get these records and so far has not won any of these lawsuits. In these lawsuits, the DOJ never really states why they really need these records. trump's voting by mail executive order is clearly the reason for these lawsuits.

Trump acknowledged in his executive order that he "directs DHS to create a nationwide voter registration database.”

Trump may have accidentally  torpedoed his own bid to seize voter rolls: analyst

www.rawstory.com/trump-voting...

— Evie (@evie55.bsky.social) 2026-04-03T20:06:48.463Z

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-voting-2676662305/

President Donald Trump's executive order demanding states put new procedures in place for mail-in voting and turn over information about who is voting by mail is almost certain to be struck down in court, Jim Saksa wrote for Democracy Docket on Friday — but that's not the only way it could derail Trump's ambitions.

That's because this order could also undermine one of the main arguments Trump's Justice Department has used in court to defend the lawsuits filed against dozens of states to seize their voting rolls.

"In those lawsuits, the DOJ has claimed it needs millions of voters’ private sensitive data in order to ensure the states are complying with federal laws that require states to take steps to ensure accurate rolls," said the report. "But outside of court, DOJ officials like Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon have undermined that claim by boasting that the state voter records they’ve already obtained have been used to verify citizenship status using the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program."

After judges began ruling against the lawsuits on these grounds, DOJ officials backpedaled somewhat and said there was no plan to help the Department of Homeland Security build a national database of voters.

Trump, however, may have blown that excuse by outright acknowledging in his executive order that he "directs DHS to create a nationwide voter registration database," noted the report.

"Along with Dhillon’s statements and Trump’s orders, the DOJ’s courtroom attestations have been impeached repeatedly," wrote Saksa. For example, "last week, CBS reported that DOJ and DHS were working to formalize a data-sharing agreement for the voter rolls. And on the same day Tucker was assuring a federal judge that the DOJ wouldn’t share state records with DHS, Eric Neff, acting chief of the DOJ’s Voting Rights Section, admitted to another judge in Rhode Island that they, in fact, would."

trump's DOJ/DHS really want a nationwide voter database with a ton of confidential information. This database would be used to enforce trump's voter id executive order. It will be fun seeing trump's executive order being cited in these lawsuits.