The Trump administration escalated its nationwide push for detailed voter information on Tuesday, suing six additional states after they failed to turn over full voter registration lists requested by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Why It Matters
The DOJ says the lawsuits are part of a sweeping effort to secure U.S. elections by auditing voter registration systems and identifying vulnerabilities.
...But Democratic elections officials and voting rights advocates warn that the requests go far beyond what is necessary for routine federal reviews, and may expose millions of voters' personal information to misuse.
The new filings bring to at least 14 the number of states the DOJ has taken to court in recent weeks, marking one of the most aggressive federal pursuits of state-level voter data in modern history.
The department has already sued eight states—among them Michigan, Wisconsin and Nevada—for refusing to hand over similar records, with several governors accusing the Trump administration of attempting to “commandeer” state election systems.
What To Know
The DOJ said Tuesday it was suing Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington, accusing them of “failure” to produce full statewide voter registration lists in response to federal demands issued in the fall.
Officials in several of those states said they had already provided the federal government with information they are legally permitted to release, but balked at supplying sensitive data like dates of birth, addresses, partial Social Security numbers and decades of voter-history files.
“Our federal elections laws ensure every American citizen may vote freely and fairly,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the department’s Civil Rights Division, according to the Associated Press.
“States that continue to defy federal voting laws interfere with our mission of ensuring that Americans have accurate voter lists as they go to the polls, that every vote counts equally, and that all voters have confidence in election results."
A spokesperson for the DOJ said the department “cannot safeguard election integrity without complete and accurate records,” echoing language used in earlier suits. In November, the department made similar arguments when suing Michigan and Wisconsin, alleging “non-compliance” with federal election administration laws.
What People Are Saying
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, in a statement: “Accurate voter rolls are the cornerstone of fair and free elections, and too many states have fallen into a pattern of noncompliance with basic voter roll maintenance.”
Washington State Republican Party, in a statement: “The wheels of justice are turning. We understand that state employee whistleblowers may have already provided the DOJ with the relevant information."
What Happens Next
The six new lawsuits were filed in federal district courts on Tuesday. Each case is expected to move quickly, following the timeline of the earlier suits, in which federal judges ordered states to respond within weeks.
State officials are preparing to contest the demands, and several Democratic attorneys general have signaled they may coordinate a joint defense, arguing that the DOJ is stretching federal election administration laws.
Meanwhile, Congress is facing growing pressure for clarity over what voter data federal agencies can access and how such records should be protected. As litigation expands and 2026 midterm preparations begin, the dispute over voter registration files is likely to intensify into one of the defining election integrity battles of the year.
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