Trump is Now Suing States to get Private Data on Every Voter. Here are the Far-Reaching Implications.
Trump’s Department of Justice just sued Maine and Oregon because they refused to turn over unedited information about every registered voter in the state.
Let’s start with the basics: These far-reaching DOJ demands for voter information are unprecedented. Requests from the Department of Justice might seem like normal oversight, but in reality nothing like this has ever happened before.
What’s worse, these DOJ requests—which we believe will eventually be filed in every state—make elections less secure by introducing new data vulnerabilities into the system and by putting state and local election officials under immense strain.
As for the President, his only task when it comes to elections is to run in them (which he’s no longer allowed to do after his second term), not run them himself. The Constitution gives states the power to run voting. It should concern all of us when a president tries to change the way elections operate or tilt the process in his own vision.
And let’s be clear, that’s exactly what’s happening. Here’s his plan:
Stepping back for a moment, this entire ordeal of requesting your voter information to build the first-ever “national voter roll” has its roots in made-up MAGA claims that we have a massive noncitizen voting problem in America. We do not. Our elections are free, fair, and secure. There’s simply no upside that justifies the risk the President is creating.
Meanwhile, we know this Administration can’t trusted with math, data, or facts. Don’t like the latest government labor statistics? Fire the statistician. The same thing will happen with voter data:
First, in the short term, federal agencies may falsely claim that large numbers of non-citizens are registered to vote and then pressure states to purge those names voter rolls—an unreliable process that almost always results in lawfully registered voters losing their right to vote.
Later, when there are election results the Administration doesn’t like, false reports of voter rolls “bloated with noncitizens” could be used to justify attempts to contest those results or undermine public confidence in elections.
Beyond unreliable purges, contesting results, and undermining confidence, DOJ has also verified our concerns that voter data won’t be handled confidentially by confirming it will share that data with other agencies for use in criminal and immigration-related investigations. Given the risks of criminal prosecution or even deportation that come with these investigations, the consequences of unreliable data practices and “false positive” matches become even more dire—especially considering there’s zero benefit for our already safe and secure elections.
This direct attack on our freedom to register and vote is about little more than fear and control. If we live in a democracy, then voters—not politicians—should decide elections.
Trump’s actions are taken straight out of the authoritarian playbook, aimed to take power away from us and put it in his own hands. We need to stay informed, see through his efforts, and be ready to speak up and fight back at the ballot box.