New DOJ Plan To Share Private Voter Data with DHS Stokes Fears of Federal Election Takeover

In response to reporting that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is finalizing a deal with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to hand over states’ sensitive voter data, Issue One Policy Director Michael McNulty issued the following statement:

“The Department of Justice’s agreement to share states’ voter data with DHS, including Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), confirms what election officials have been warning about for months — that the information would be shared outside of DOJ and potentially misused for partisan purposes. The move also reveals that DOJ withheld key facts from courts, state leaders, and the public about how voter data would be used.

“The reported agreement is part of the administration’s broader election takeover playbook. The President and his allies aim to centralize executive control over elections, control who can vote, and tilt the playing field in their favor — all based on debunked claims of noncitizen voting, which in reality, is exceedingly rare. Actions like DOJ’s voter data grab undermine trust and make our elections weaker.

“Since DOJ is seeking to move forward to share private voter data with ICE, its actions confirm what election officials have been warning about for months.

“DOJ’s actions create real barriers and concerns for voters because eligible voters could be flagged incorrectly and disenfranchised under systems that were not designed for voter eligibility and are known to produce errors. They also preview what bills like the SAVE America Act would require nationwide. Without transparency into why DOJ made these decisions, voters deserve answers to questions like: What information is being shared? Who has access to it? How will it be used, and what safeguards are actually in place?

“Congress must hold DOJ accountable and ensure voters’ privacy and trust are safeguarded. In the upcoming hearing with Attorney General Pam Bondi on April 14th, lawmakers should demand clear answers about what data is being collected, how it will be protected, and what DOJ plans to do with it.”

Background

Last month, Issue One released a letter signed by a bipartisan group of current and former election officials from its Faces of Democracy Council warning that DOJ’s campaign to obtain unredacted statewide voter registration data from 40 states could put voter privacy at risk. The election officials emphasized that they “know first hand that free, fair, and secure elections depend on respecting states’ primary authority to run elections, public trust, and the careful protection of voters’ personal information.” The letter urged Congress to hold robust oversight hearings, require transparency from DOJ, and reaffirm that states — not the executive branch — are preeminent in running elections.