Power Grab/Fire anyone who can stop him
DHS tells the Attorney General it has referred two election nonprofits to the Justice Department over state voter data
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s September 2, 2026 letter names the Electronic Registration Information Center and the Center for Election Innovation and Research; it asserts no charge or finding.
What happened
In a 4-page letter dated September 2, 2026, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin told Attorney General Todd Blanche that DHS had made 2 referrals to the Justice Department under his predecessor. The White House posted the letter on September 4. One referral asked whether voting systems that count barcodes or QR codes comply with the Help America Vote Act.
The other asked the Justice Department to review whether states sharing motor vehicle and voter registration data with private nonprofits is legal. It names the Electronic Registration Information Center and the Center for Election Innovation and Research under the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act. The letter asserts no charge or finding. CEIR director David Becker said CEIR receives no ongoing motor vehicle or voter data and was never contacted.
Who benefited
The administration got a public, White House-posted letter putting 2 election nonprofits under suspicion without a charge. The letter reached the Attorney General on September 2 and went online on September 4. It also keeps the barcode question about voting systems in front of the Justice Department.
Who wanted something
DHS wanted the Justice Department to review whether states can legally share motor vehicle and voter registration data with ERIC and CEIR. The referral rests on the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act. Mullin’s letter says the referrals were made under his predecessor and asks about voting systems that count barcodes or QR codes.
Who lost out
ERIC and CEIR were named in a federal letter as subjects of a data-sharing review. David Becker said CEIR receives no ongoing motor vehicle or voter data and was never contacted. The letter asserts no charge or finding, so the nonprofits face the reputational cost of a referral with no stated basis.
Why it matters
Two nonprofits that work with states on voter data were referred to the Justice Department, and one of them says it was never contacted. The letter asserts no charge or finding. It was posted by the White House on September 4, 2 days after it was signed.
Sources The White House (primary)Washington ExaminerThe Daily SignalDemocracy Docket