Justice Department expands legal action against states that have refused its demands for voter data

BOSTON (AP) 鈥� The Justice Department on Tuesday sued six more states in its to obtain detailed voter data and other election information.

The department announced it was suing Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington over their 鈥渇ailure鈥� to produce statewide voter registration lists. It has portrayed the litigation as part of an effort to ensure the security of elections, but Democratic officials have over how the data will be used and whether the department will follow privacy laws in protecting it.

Tuesday鈥檚 actions bring to at least 14 the Justice Department has sued in its quest for the voter information.

鈥淥ur federal elections laws ensure every American citizen may vote freely and fairly,鈥� said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the department鈥檚 Civil Rights Division. 鈥淪tates that continue to defy federal voting laws interfere with our mission of ensuring that Americans have accurate voter lists as they go to the polls, that every vote counts equally, and that all voters have confidence in election results.”

The department has requested the voter data , according to an Associated Press tally. It’s prompted concerns among some election officials because states have the constitutional authority to run elections and federal law protects the sharing of individual data with the government.

It also signals the of the Justice Department鈥檚 involvement in elections under President Donald Trump.

included basic questions about the procedures states use to comply with federal voting laws, such as how they identify and remove duplicate voter registrations or deceased or otherwise ineligible voters. Certain questions were more state-specific and referenced data points or perceived inconsistencies from a recent survey from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.

Some states have sent the department redacted versions of their voter lists, which in many cases are also available to the public. But the Justice Department also has requested copies that contain personally identifiable information, including voters’ names, birth dates, addresses and driver鈥檚 license numbers or partial Social Security numbers.

The New Mexico Secretary of State’s office said it already provided the Justice Department with voter data that is publicly available, but said it’s legally prevented from turning over 鈥減ersonal private voter information,鈥� office spokesperson Alex Curtas said in a statement.

Rhode Island Attorney General Attorney Peter Neronha said his office was aware of the lawsuit and called it the 鈥渓atest example of the weaponization of the Department of Justice to further the Trump administration鈥檚 unlawful whims.鈥�

鈥淲e stand with and will defend the secretary, and win, because lawsuits concerning lawful conduct are largely unsuccessful,鈥� Neronha said. “But I鈥檓 not surprised that this administration is confused about what it means to behave lawfully.鈥�

The Justice Department鈥檚 actions come alongside Trump’s push to , which to Democrat Joe Biden, and the 2026 midterms.

At the same time, voting rights groups have sued the administration, arguing that recent updates to a federal tool for verifying citizenship could result in voters being unlawfully purged from voter lists.

Last month, 10 Democratic secretaries of state asked the Trump administration to provide more information about its wide-ranging efforts to seek the statewide voter registration lists. They cited concerns that federal agencies have apparently misled them and might be entering the data in used to verify U.S. citizenship.

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Associated Press writer Morgan Lee in Santa Fe, New Mexico, contributed to this report.