Justice Department sues six more states in push for voter data

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FILE-Voters make selections at their voting booths inside an early voting site on October 17, 2024 in Hendersonville, North Carolina. (Photo by Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)

The Department of Justice sued six more states as the agency continues its quest to obtain and evaluate voter data.

Justice Department officials are alleging that these states are not responding adequately to questions regarding the guidelines state election officials follow to maintain voter rolls.

According to the Associated Press, the six states have called the DOJ’s request for voters’ personal information unprecedented and illegal and are planning to challenge it. 

Which states are being sued by the DOJ?

Why you should care:

The Justice Department’s newest lawsuits are targeting California, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania.

Citing the DOJ lawsuits, the Associated Press noted that the Justice Department claims the states were breaking federal law by refusing to supply all of their information on registered voters, including a voter’s full name, date of birth, address, state driver’s license number and the last four digits of their Social Security number.

RELATED: DOJ suing Oregon and Maine as it seeks voter data in multiple states

Last week, the DOJ sued Oregon and Maine and agency officials told the Associated Press it is building a nationwide effort to ensure that states are complying with federal requirements to maintain voter rolls. The AP reported that all eight states being sued are led by Democratic governors, except for New Hampshire, which is led by a Republican.

According to the AP, the Department of Justice has asked at least 26 states for voter registration rolls and in many cases asked states for information on how they maintain their voter rolls. 

Several states have submitted redacted versions of their voter lists or declined or objected to the voter registration data requests, referencing their state laws or the DOJ’s negligence to fulfill federal Privacy Act responsibilities. 

State officials respond to DOJ 

The other side:

In a statement provided to the Associated Press, Minnesota’s Secretary of State, Steve Simon, said Thursday that Minnesota’s elections are "fair, accurate, honest and secure" and that the Department of Justice isn’t entitled to the information.

"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 added.

California’s Secretary of State Shirley Weber said in a statement that the Department of Justice "failed to provide sufficient legal authority to justify their intrusive demands" and its lawsuit has no basis in any previous department practice or policy.

The AP reported that Pennsylvania’s Secretary of State Al Schmidt called the department’s demand for voters’ personal information "unprecedented and unlawful." Schmidt told the AP his agency will fight the federal government’s "overreach."

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson told the AP that her agency provided the Justice Department what it is legally entitled to, the public version of Michigan’s voter file. Benson noted that she told the DOJ it couldn’t have the private, personal information of more than 8 million state residents because it is protected by state and federal law.

Benson called it an "illegal and unconstitutional power grab" and said the department rejected questions about why it wants the information.

"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 shared with the AP.