State Legislators: Stop Federal Seizure of Voter Data

I am writing to urge you, as a state legislator, to speak out publicly and take concrete action against the Trump Department of Justice’s expanding lawsuits seeking unredacted voter registration data from the states. The DOJ has now sued at least eighteen states—including Massachusetts and Nevada—for refusing to turn over voter rolls containing highly sensitive personal information. These demands go far beyond what is publicly available and include home addresses, dates of birth, driver’s license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers. This effort represents an unprecedented federal intrusion into state-run elections and a serious threat to voter privacy. The Constitution assigns primary responsibility for administering elections to the states. That authority carries with it a duty to protect voters from unnecessary exposure of their personal data. By attempting to centralize state voter information through litigation, the DOJ is asserting a level of federal control over elections that states of both parties have rightly rejected. Independent reporting confirms that this is not an isolated action. The DOJ has pursued voter data from dozens of states and local jurisdictions, escalating to lawsuits when states refuse. This pattern suggests a coordinated attempt to compile a nationwide store of sensitive voter information—something without modern precedent. The privacy risks are severe. Collecting driver’s license numbers and Social Security digits at scale dramatically increases the risk of data breaches, identity theft, harassment, and politically motivated targeting. Once this information leaves state control, voters lose meaningful protection over how their data is used or misused. No federal assurance can undo the harm of exposure. Beyond privacy, this effort risks undermining free and fair elections themselves. Access to unredacted voter data would enable mass voter challenges, fuel false claims of fraud, and facilitate new barriers to voting, including proof-of-citizenship schemes that disproportionately burden working-class voters, students, and communities of color. State officials across the country—Democrats and Republicans alike—have stated plainly that the DOJ lacks legal authority to demand this information. Their resistance reflects a shared understanding that protecting elections means protecting voters, not surrendering their data under threat of litigation. State legislators must not remain silent. I urge you to: • Publicly oppose these DOJ lawsuits • Affirm your state’s constitutional authority over elections • Support legislation strengthening voter data privacy protections • Stand behind state election officials defending voters in court This is a defining moment for federalism, privacy, and democratic self-government. Please be outspoken and decisive in defending the voters you serve.