Trump administration filed 31 lawsuits seeking states’ unredacted voter rolls

Seeking voter registration data

The administration has sought complete electronic copies of statewide voter rolls from nearly all 50 states. Letters sent to most states last year requested unredacted lists containing voters’ addresses, birthdates, partial Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers.

The Justice Department has brought 31 lawsuits over access to these records. Federal judges have rejected the department’s requests in 26 cases.

Appeal and election efforts

So far, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit is the only appeals court identified as having upheld a lower court ruling against the administration’s effort to obtain voter rolls. That case concerned Michigan.

The administration’s lawsuits are part of President Trump’s broader push for more federal power over elections. He has signed two election-related executive orders, and courts have blocked both.

Voting rules and fraud claims

Trump is urging Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, a package of voting rules that would sharply restrict mail-in voting and introduce new voter ID requirements. He has repeatedly criticized mail-in voting and alleged widespread fraud, without presenting evidence for those claims. He has also said Democratic states permit noncitizens to vote in U.S. elections; voting in federal elections by noncitizens is a federal crime.