Power Grab/Fire anyone who can stop him
The Justice Department demands full voter rolls from nearly every state, sues 30 states and D.C., and loses 26 of the cases
At least 16 states, mostly Republican-led, handed over or agreed to hand over complete files, some under a confidential memorandum of understanding.
What happened
Beginning in May 2025, the Justice Department demanded that at least 48 states and Washington, D.C. hand over complete statewide voter-registration lists. The lists were to include driver’s-license numbers and partial Social Security numbers. The Civil Rights Division also asked for ballots from prior elections and access to voting equipment. Most states provided only the public version of their rolls or refused.
When states refused, DOJ sued 30 states and D.C. Courts dismissed 26 of those suits, including those against Arizona, California, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The Sixth Circuit affirmed the Michigan dismissal, and DOJ settled with Oklahoma.
At least 16 states, among them Alabama, Florida, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas, provided or agreed to provide their full files. Several signed a confidential memorandum of understanding. In a March 2026 hearing, DOJ said it planned to run the data against DHS’s SAVE database. Common Cause sued on April 21, 2026 to block a national voter database.
Who benefited
The Justice Department and DHS gained the beginnings of a federal voter database drawn from the states that complied. They also gained the ability to cross-check voters against immigration records. The White House gained leverage over state election officials ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Who wanted something
Executive Order 14248 directed the attorney general to seek information-sharing agreements with states and to prioritize enforcement in states that refused. The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section carried out the demands and filed the suits. Its acting chief described the SAVE cross-check plan in court.
Who lost out
Registered voters in complying states had sensitive identifiers transferred to a federal agency under terms kept confidential. States lost time and money defending their files in 31 lawsuits. Voters flagged by database matches face possible wrongful removal.
Why it matters
No prior administration had demanded every state’s complete voter file. Judges rejected the demand in 26 cases, but the data already collected and the plan to match it against immigration records remain. The effort is underway, not defeated.
Sources Brennan Center for JusticeBrennan Center for Justice