Since May, the Justice Department has demanded that nearly every state and Washington, DC, hand over election-related records and data, such as full copies of statewide voter registration lists and ballots from previous elections, as well as access to voting equipment. The federal government has sued 30 states and Washington, DC, for not complying. Six of those lawsuits have since been dismissed.
The requests cover sensitive, private information such as driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers. Its collection by the federal government raises serious privacy and security concerns and may violate state and federal laws.
These demands by the Trump administration are unprecedented and a clear encroachment on states’ power to run elections as outlined in the Constitution. The effort is part of the administration’s concerted campaign to interfere with future elections.
Demands for Statewide Voter Registration Lists
At least 48 states and Washington, DC, have received requests for their complete voter registration lists. Most states have provided a publicly available version (which does not include Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers) or have not provided the voter registration lists at all. The DOJ has sued Washington, DC, and 30 states for refusing to provide their statewide voter registration lists with driver’s license and Social Security numbers. The cases against California, Michigan, and Oregon have been dismissed, and the DOJ has appealed those rulings. The cases against Arizona, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island have also been dismissed. The DOJ entered into a settlement agreement with and dismissed its case against Oklahoma.
At least 15 states have either provided or said they will provide their full statewide voter registration lists, including driver’s license and Social Security numbers: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming. The DOJ has asked states to agree to a “confidential memorandum of understanding” in connection with handing over their full voter files. That agreement reveals both the DOJ’s plans to interfere with the states’ authority to run elections and how dangerously insecure the sensitive data will be in the department’s hands. Alaska and Texas signed the agreement when they gave their full voter files to the DOJ. Mississippi, South Dakota, and Tennessee refused to sign the agreement when they provided their voter rolls.
Over the past year, DOJ has made conflicting statements regarding plans to share the voter roll data it collects with the Department of Homeland Security. But in a March hearing in the DOJ’s case seeking Rhode Island’s voter file, the Acting Chief of the Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division stated that the agency planned to run the voter roll data it collects “against DHS’S SAVE [Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements] database.” The Civil Rights Division has a Memorandum of Understanding with DHS to use SAVE for voter registration and voter list maintenance.
Common Cause and four of its members sued DOJ on April 21, 2026, to block the creation of a national voter database and prevent voter data from being run through the SAVE program, which they argue could result in the purging of eligible voters.
Demands for Other Election Records or Access to Equipment
The Trump administration has made other demands for election records or access to voting equipment.
In Colorado and Missouri, individuals affiliated with the first or second Trump administration have sought access to voting equipment. Election officials in both states refused the requests.
The FBI has obtained, either through the execution of a search warrant or the issuance of a subpoena, records related to the 2020 election in Fulton County, Georgia and Maricopa County, Arizona. The FBI has also reportedly sought information from Nevada regarding specific voters, as part of an investigation into the 2020 election.
In addition, the Trump administration, acting through DOJ or DHS, has reportedly sought records related to the 2020 election, same-day voter registration, specific voters, or local voter registration groups, from election officials in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Ohio, Minnesota, and Nevada. The DOJ is now also seeking records from Wayne County, Michigan related to the 2024 election, as well as the identities of every person who served as an election worker in Fulton County, Georgia during the 2020 presidential election.
The Brennan Center is tracking these requests, states’ responses, and lawsuits. The map below shows which states have been contacted based on public reporting and public records requests made by the Brennan Center, and which states have been sued. Summaries of the correspondences are also included. Click on a state to see what’s happened in the state.
