The U.S. Justice Department has filed lawsuits against six additional states—California, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania—alleging that these states are unlawfully preventing the federal government from accessing detailed voter data. This legal action follows similar lawsuits against Oregon and Maine last week as part of a broader initiative to ensure compliance with federal requirements for maintaining accurate voter rolls.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated, “Clean voter rolls are the foundation of free and fair elections. Every state has a responsibility to ensure that voter registration records are accurate, accessible, and secure — states that don’t fulfill that obligation will see this Department of Justice in court.”
The majority of the states targeted by these lawsuits have Democratic governors; New Hampshire is led by a Republican governor. According to an Associated Press tally, at least 26 states have received requests from the Justice Department for their voter registration rolls in recent months. Many states have either provided redacted public versions or declined to share full data due to concerns over privacy laws and federal obligations under the Privacy Act.
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon commented on Thursday: “We have been very clear with the DOJ about our position that state and federal law do not allow our office to provide them with private voter data unless they provide information about how the information will be used and secured.” Simon also noted that Minnesota’s inquiries on this matter went unanswered before Thursday’s lawsuit was filed.
California Secretary of State Shirley Weber said in a statement that the Justice Department “failed to provide sufficient legal authority to justify their intrusive demands” and argued that its lawsuit lacks precedent within department practice or policy.
Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt described the department’s request as “unprecedented and unlawful,” stating his agency would challenge what he called federal “overreach.”
In its legal filings, the Justice Department asserts that withholding complete registered voter information—including names, dates of birth, addresses, driver’s license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers—prevents it from verifying whether states comply with federal law regarding election integrity.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said her office supplied only publicly available portions of Michigan’s voter file. She explained her refusal to release more detailed personal information by citing protections under both state and federal law. Benson referred to the department’s actions as an “illegal and unconstitutional power grab” and criticized officials for not clarifying why they need such sensitive data. “I have asked them these questions. Other secretaries of state – both Democrats and Republicans – have also asked them these questions. They refuse to give us a straight answer,” Benson said.
Some election officials express concern over the scope of these requests because administering elections is constitutionally delegated to individual states and Congress rather than any federal agency. Federal law further restricts sharing certain types of personal data with Washington authorities.
Officials speculate that one reason behind seeking this level of detail could be efforts by federal agencies to identify noncitizens on voting rolls.
Benson indicated she would coordinate with other secretaries of state who oppose releasing private voter information at this scale.
