DOJ Wants State Voter Rolls–What to Know

The Justice Department has been requesting that several states turn over their voter rolls and suing them when they don’t comply.

The voter rolls are each state’s list of registered voters, along with their names, ages, addresses, and sometimes party affiliation.

The administration has stated that it wants to review the lists for compliance with federal law, but Democratic-led states have said that such laws do not require the disclosure requested.

Here’s what to know about the administration’s efforts and how it is faring in court.

The Requests

President Donald Trump, who has long alleged that there is voter fraud in the United States, made the issue a priority for his second term.

On March 25, 2025, he signed an executive order titled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections.”

Among other things, that order required the attorney general to prioritize enforcement of laws that restrict noncitizens’ voting and voter registration.

It also directed the attorney general to “take appropriate action with respect to states that fail to comply with the list maintenance requirements of the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act.”

The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) is a federal law passed in 1993 that seeks to increase voter registration by U.S. citizens in states.

To that end, it requires states to offer eligible voters the chance to register via different forms, such as driver’s license applications and by mail.

It also requires states to maintain “accurate and current voter registration rolls.”

The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) was passed by Congress in 2002 to ensure uniformity in the voting experience for Americans across different states.

It established the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, which was tasked with proposing minimum standards for states to follow in administering elections.

The administration has since asked states for voter registration lists as a way to ensure compliance with these federal laws.

In requests, the Justice Department has cited cancellations based on citizenship ineligibility and high rates of voter registration as reasons for such requests.

So far, 11 states have agreed to provide at least some of the information the Justice Department has requested.

They are Alaska, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming.

Ten states, meanwhile, have sought clarification from the department regarding the kind of information requested and how it will be used.

In response to state refusals, the administration has filed multiple lawsuits.

The Opposition

Many state leaders, chiefly Democrats, have objected to the requests.

They have argued that the administration is seeking information beyond what federal law allows. They have also alleged that the administration may be looking to use the information improperly.

“We write to urge the Department of Justice (the Department or DOJ) to stop its intensifying pressure campaign to coerce states into handing over their voter rolls, which include voters’ personally identifiable information (PII), in apparent violation of federal law,” several Democratic senators wrote in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi on Jan. 29.

They said the requests pose “serious risks to voter privacy, data security, and national security” and “invite unwarranted voter roll purges and undermine state and local election officials’ list maintenance efforts.”

Some secretaries of state have likewise issued such warnings.

“Nobody—not the president, the DOJ, or any other federal agency—has the right to your sensitive, private voter information,” Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said in a video message to voters on Oct. 24, 2025.

She cited the Privacy Act of 1974 as a limitation on such requests.

The Lawsuits

In response to denials, the department has sued 24 states and Washington, D.C., to obtain the information.

In addition to the NVRA and HAVA, it has invoked Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960, which requires states to maintain records of federal elections’ voting for 22 months afterward.

The Democratic lawmakers challenged the use of that law.

“The department may not use [the law’s disclosure requirements] as a blank check to amass any election data it wants—especially when the effect of that data collection could prevent eligible Americans from voting,” their letter read.

Bondi and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who heads the department’s Civil Rights Division, have said the requests are lawful.

“Clean voter rolls protect American citizens from voting fraud and abuse, and restore their confidence that their states’ elections are conducted properly, with integrity, and in compliance with the law,” Dhillon wrote in a statement released in September 2025.

In several federal district courts, the department’s lawsuits and requests have been thrown out.

Judges in California, Georgia, Michigan, and Oregon have dismissed the lawsuits, either on their merits or on grounds of jurisdiction.

In courts where the administration has lost, judges have agreed with states that the requested disclosures are outside the scope of the NVRA and HAVA.

In Nebraska, a federal judge rejected the state’s effort to block the request.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.