Criminal Prosecutors Hunting Fraud Want Rhode Island To Hand Over Voter Information

Criminal prosecutors at the U.S. Department of Justice are asking Rhode Island to hand over sensitive voter roll information to help with the Trump administration’s hunt for voter fraud, according to an email obtained by Democracy Docket. 

The DOJ email, sent July 10, requests a call with Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore (D) “to discuss a potential information-sharing agreement” on voter registration data. 

The email was sent by Scott Laragy, principal deputy director for the executive office for United States attorneys, and Paul Hayden, senior counsel in the DOJ’s criminal division. 

Laragy and Hayden write that they want information “on, among other things, individuals who have registered to vote or have voted in your state despite being ineligible to vote, who may have committed other forms of election fraud, who may have provided false information to state authorities on voter registration or other election forms, or who may otherwise have engaged in unlawful conduct relevant to the election process.”

It’s an extremely unusual — and concerning — request coming from DOJ’s criminal division, said David Becker, the founder and executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research and a former trial attorney in the DOJ’s voting section.

“The criminal division has very limited jurisdiction over election officials, virtually none under federal law,” Becker said in an interview with Democracy Docket. “It’s further concerning that they’re seeking, apparently, to acquire a vast treasure trove of extremely sensitive personal data that the federal government likely has no right to collect and receive under any federal statute — and it’s unclear what they would do with it.”

Becker confirmed that similar requests from the criminal division went out to other states, but said he was not authorized to say which ones.

Laragy and Hayden also mention that “some of our colleagues from the Civil Rights Division may have reached out” to Amore’s office about collecting voting information as part of the DOJ’s efforts to implement President Donald Trump’s sweeping anti-voting executive order.

Faith Chybowski, the director of communications and public affairs for Amore’s office, told Democracy Docket that they have not received any other correspondence from the DOJ. 

“Our office is currently reviewing the request and has not yet responded,” she added.

DOJ’s criminal division has contacted at least two states to request a meeting about an information sharing agreement, according to a recent New York Times report. It’s part of the DOJ’s broader quest to gain access to voter rolls and other sensitive election data in a number of states across the country. 

“I think that should concern all Americans, because it appears the Justice Department is trying to acquire sensitive information on all Americans for who knows what purpose, with very, very questionable statutory authority,” Becker said.

Last week, Democracy Docket exclusively reported that the DOJ’s voting section sent a letter to Minnesota seeking access to the state’s voter registration rolls. The DOJ sent similar requests to at least eight other states, including Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma and Wisconsin, according to a recent Washington Post report.

Read the DOJ’s email below: