U.S. DOJ Sues Wisconsin, Illinois, Georgia and DC for Voter Data

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday filed lawsuits against Wisconsin, Illinois, Georgia and the District of Columbia for failing to turn over requested voter information, the latest step in a nationwide effort to collect detailed voting data across the country.

In the suits, the department seeks access to voter registration rolls and related data, including names, dates of birth, residential addresses, driver’s license numbers and, in some cases, partial Social Security numbers. The Justice Department has now filed 22 lawsuits aimed at obtaining such data as part of a broader federal effort to gather information on how states maintain their rolls and how they prevent ineligible voters from being counted. The department has asserted that the information is needed to protect election integrity and to prevent vote dilution, while opponents have expressed concerns about privacy and potential misuse of sensitive data.

An Associated Press tally found that the Justice Department has asked at least 26 states for voter registration rolls in recent months, and in many cases asked states for information on how they maintain their voter rolls. The department has said the data requests are limited to information the states already collect or publish, and that privacy protections can be maintained within federal law. Still, the scope and sensitivity of the data — including full names, birth dates, addresses, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers — have spurred questions about privacy safeguards and how the information would be used.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger cited the state’s past cooperation, saying in a statement that Georgia “shared our nation-leading list maintenance practices and public voter roll data with the DOJ December 8 at their request, and we look forward to working together to eliminate the federal barriers that prevent even cleaner voter rolls.” He added that the data was shared “strictly in accordance with state law that protect voters’ privacy.”

In Wisconsin, the suits come one week after a bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission voted against the Justice Department’s data request. Commission members warned that providing the full voter rolls could be illegal under Wisconsin law and raise privacy concerns, and they said they would defend the request in court if needed. Spokespeople for the Wisconsin Elections Commission and the state Department of Justice did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Illinois State Board of Elections declined to comment.

The lawsuits reflect a rapid, ongoing push by the Trump-era DOJ to obtain broader and more granular election data from states. The department has previously filed suits against a handful of other states, including California, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. Last week, the department also filed suits against Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Nevada.

Supporters say the data collection is a necessary tool to monitor the integrity of elections and to identify and fix vulnerabilities in voter rolls. Opponents at times say the data could be misused or inadequately protected and that it may run afoul of state privacy laws. Some Democratic officials and voting-rights advocates have emphasized the need for robust privacy protections and clearer limits on how the data can be used.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said in a statement that, “The law is clear: states need to give us this information, so we can do our duty to protect American citizens from vote dilution.” She added that the lawsuits demonstrate that, regardless of party control, the Department of Justice will stand on the side of election integrity and transparency.

The department said that 10 states are in full compliance or working toward compliance with its data requests. The outcomes of these cases could influence how states balance the goals of voter-roll accuracy and privacy with federal information requests in future elections.