A federal lawsuit claims the Department of Homeland Security obtained voter files from at least 47 states and combined them with commercial datasets, violating federal privacy laws.
A lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., alleges that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has illegally collected and analyzed sensitive voter data from at least 47 states. The complaint, filed on Thursday, claims the agency’s actions violate federal law and privacy rights by combining voter files with commercial datasets.
The 42-page complaint was brought by the League of Women Voters, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, and the League of United Latin American Citizens. According to the lawsuit, DHS conducted a "secretive probe" of voter data that disregards federal safeguards. The plaintiffs argue that the agency’s policy to merge voter records with commercial datasets flouts the privacy rights of millions of Americans.
The lawsuit alleges that the administration obtained voter lists from 47 states, despite the fact that officials in 30 states had previously refused federal demands to turn over such information. The plaintiffs are asking the court to declare the collection of voter data illegal, block DHS’ policy, and order the agency to delete and stop using the information it has already obtained.
This legal challenge is part of a broader series of disputes arising from President Donald Trump’s efforts to combat noncitizen voting. The president has repeatedly argued that noncitizen voting poses a serious threat to election integrity. However, the sources note that studies and prosecutions have found documented instances of noncitizens casting ballots to be rare.
The Trump administration has sought a greater federal role in voter eligibility and election administration, areas traditionally overseen primarily by states under the Constitution and federal law. Federal courts have repeatedly rejected administration efforts to compel states to turn over voter information, upholding states’ rights to decline such requests.
The lawsuit was filed less than three weeks before Election Day. On the same day, the administration sued California election officials, alleging they failed to act quickly enough to review names the federal government identified as "likely" noncitizens. The Justice Department asked a judge to block the state from counting mail-in ballots from those individuals unless their eligibility could be confirmed.
According to the Justice Department, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services conducted a "multiagency and multilevel review" and determined with "high confidence" that roughly 20,000 people on California's voter rolls were likely noncitizens. The California secretary of state's office stated it was given only 48 hours to review the names and claimed the federal government had not provided the underlying evidence or methodology supporting its claims.
DHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the lawsuit.
The lawsuit highlights the ongoing tension between federal authorities and state governments over election administration and data privacy. It underscores the legal and procedural challenges facing the administration's efforts to centralize voter eligibility checks, particularly as these efforts intersect with claims of noncitizen voting that experts describe as rare. The outcome could set precedents for how federal agencies handle sensitive state-level voter data.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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