Federal authorities under the Trump administration seek to acquire state-level voter information, which includes portions of Social Security numbers.
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has been sending letters to state election officials, requesting unredacted copies of their voter registration databases. The agency has stated that this information is necessary to ensure compliance with a federal law that requires states to maintain accurate voter registration rolls.
The federal law, which gives the Justice Department the authority to ensure that states have procedures to maintain their voter rolls and remove those who have died, moved, or are otherwise not eligible to vote, is at the centre of this controversy.
The DOJ's new letters make explicit that they want states to provide all fields, including personal information, contained in their voter registration datasets to the federal government. This includes sensitive data such as partial Social Security numbers, names, birthdates, addresses, and driver's license numbers or the last four digits of their Social Security numbers.
The push is overseen by the DOJ and has seen the department contact at least 26 states since May, seeking a broad array of information related to voter rolls and election officials.
However, election officers in several states, including Arizona and Pennsylvania, are refusing to comply with the demands, citing the need to guard voters' privacy. The confrontation over access to voter data is likely to end up in court, with states like Orange County, California and Minnesota refusing to share voters' personal information without a court order.
Some state officials argue that the Justice Department is overstepping its authority, as states, not the federal government, run elections and carry out voter-roll maintenance. This sentiment is shared by Democratic Secretary of State Steve Simon in Minnesota, who is refusing to share voters' personal information despite pressure from Republican state lawmakers.
The new requests have aroused suspicion among some Democratic officials that the administration may be seeking data to advance claims of voter fraud in upcoming elections. David Becker, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Election Innovation & Research, expressed concern about the DOJ's moves to obtain sensitive personal voter information.
Trump has moved to insert himself into elections, falsely asserting that states must obey his orders regarding federal elections. Additionally, he has urged GOP-controlled states to redraw congressional maps to eke out more US House seats for Republicans.
In a recent move, Trump issued an executive order earlier this year instructing the Department of Government Efficiency to assist in a review of state voter rolls to identify potential noncitizens. The DOJ plans outreach to all 50 states, according to the National Association of Secretaries of State.
As the debate over voter data access continues, it remains to be seen how this issue will unfold in the courts and the impact it will have on the upcoming elections.
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