The RecordExhibit 47
Suing 30 states for their voters' private data
Ruled unlawful means: A court ruled against it. Some rulings are on appeal.
The Justice Department demanded complete voter registration lists, including birth dates, driver's license numbers and partial Social Security numbers, from nearly every state, then sued the states that refused, starting with Oregon and Maine in September 2025.
What happened
Several states offered the public, redacted versions of their lists; the department insisted on copies with personal information. It has now sued 30 states and Washington, D.C. Asked whether the data would be run through the federal citizenship-check system, a department spokesperson said only that it would be screened for ineligible voters. Maine's secretary of state said the department had never asked states for voter data like this before.
Where it stands
Judges in 11 states have ruled that the department cannot force states to hand over the lists, including a Trump appointee in Maine, and a California judge called the demand unprecedented and illegal. In June an appeals court upheld Michigan's win, the department's first loss at that level. The latest came on Sept. 30, when a judge ruled Georgia could comply with federal law by providing a redacted list. We found no ruling in the department's favor.
The administration's side
The department says federal civil rights and voting laws entitle it to the full lists so it can check whether states are properly removing ineligible voters, and that its requests are legal.
Sources
Permanent link: https://unredactedrecord.com/e/voterrolls/