Sharing the Facts About Federal Efforts to Compile State Voter Data

Since President Trump began his second term, his administration has made moves to grab power from states and centralize authority under the federal government, including over how elections are run. It has demanded that states turn over sensitive voter information, pushed to obtain that data through bulk citizenship checks, and attempted to make agreements with states that would put voters’ data at risk.

In 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) sent the demands for voters’ private data in letters to dozens of states. The vast majority of states—led by both Democrats and Republicans—refused to comply and provided only their publicly available information. In response, the DOJ sued states, claiming its inquiries are meant to ensure voter rolls are accurate. But the states have asserted that the requests raise serious Privacy Act concerns and risks the security of voters’ sensitive data. States already adhere to rigorous procedures to keep their voter rolls clean and accurate, following state and federal law.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is also pressuring states to use a federal program called SAVE to use a federal program called SAVE to check the citizenship status of voters. Historically, the SAVE program has had reliability issues, including the use of data that can be out of date. DHS has not yet demonstrated that its results are reliable. Because of this, election experts are concerned that relying on SAVE may disenfranchise eligible voters and lead to a greater centralization of voter data in the hands of the federal government.

Here are some key takeaways about the Trump administration’s effort to seize state voter data:

• These far-reaching demands for voter information are unprecedented and illegal.
  • This may seem like normal oversight. But in reality, the federal government is using its immense power to intimidate states into turning over protected data and changing their voting processes to fit the president’s whims.
  • The DOJ is asking state officials to break their state laws that protect voters’ privacy. The federal government is telling them to give up voter information they have sworn to protect. Their job is to keep elections safe and secure, and that includes protecting voters’ personal data. States will continue to defend their voters’ rights and privacy and uphold the law.
• Voters’ sensitive information and access to the ballot are at risk.
  • The administration is introducing unnecessary privacy and security issues affecting voters’ most sensitive data, like driver’s license numbers, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth.
  • This administration has a poor track record of protecting private data.
  • States are entrusted to protect voters’ private data. It’s not the administration’s job to compile data on hundreds of millions of voters. They could use it in malicious or incompetent ways—and they aren’t willing to explain their goals to state officials or to voters.
  • This data could be shared with a wide array of federal, state, local, and even private agencies and organizations. The administration has not given any reassurances that the data will be properly protected.
• This is a power grab from the president.
  • The president’s only job in elections is to run for office. The Constitution is crystal clear: Elections are run by the states.
  • The administration does not care about the Constitution. They’re clearly trying to interfere with how states run elections.
  • The DOJ has demanded state hand over tons of private voter data, but they’ve given no clear answers on what they want to do with the information. Why do they need the private, personal information of voters? From letters to lawsuits, they’ve offered no real reasons. They can’t get their story straight.
• Adopting SAVE in the way DHS plans is a solution in search of a problem.
  • Noncitizens voting is already illegal. And there are very, very few cases of noncitizens even trying to vote. It’s extremely rare.
  • There is no evidence that noncitizens are trying to register or vote in our elections. Any claim otherwise is a baseless allegation meant to diminish trust in the security of our elections.
  • This isn’t a widespread issue impacting our elections, much less one in search of such a costly solution.
  • States already have processes in place to make sure that only eligible voters can register and cast a ballot.
  • States use proven tools to check voter eligibility. This is not a proven tool. It’s not trustworthy. And the courts are suggesting it could even be illegal.
  • DHS has not demonstrated that SAVE’s data is accurate, and improper data could lead to misidentifying eligible voters as noncitizens, after they already went through the process of lawfully registering to vote.
• Elections are free, fair, and secure.
  • There are strict laws in place that govern who can vote and how. And strict processes to make sure those laws are followed.
  • Only U.S. citizens can vote in state and federal elections.
  • States have a long history of conducting secure and accurate elections that follow state and federal law.
  • Voters can be confident that every eligible vote—and only every eligible vote—is counted, and that our elections in this country are fair and accurate.
  • This could subject U.S. citizens—your neighbors, family, and friends—to unnecessary burdens, intrusive investigations, and even disenfranchisement.
  • This could hurt older Americans, naturalized citizens, and voters like married women who have changed their names.
  • We cannot afford to play fast and loose with something as fundamental as the right to vote.