DOJ Demands Voter Data From Maryland and Michigan 

Maryland and Michigan are the latest targets of the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) hunt to collect sensitive voter data from states across the country. 

Both states reportedly received letters recently from the DOJ’s civil rights division demanding access to voter registration data, as well as other information to prove compliance with federal voting laws. 

On July 14, the Maryland State Board of Elections (MDSBE) reportedly received a letter from the DOJ asking the state to hand over voter registration data from November 2022 to November 2024. The letter asked the board to provide the department with the number of voters identified as ineligible to vote because they were noncitizens or had a felony conviction. 

The DOJ’s letter also reportedly questioned the accuracy of Maryland’s voter rolls and alluded to the possibility of a federal investigation. The DOJ gave the MDSBE 14 days to provide the requested information.

Democracy Docket has filed a public records request to obtain a copy of the DOJ’s letter to the MDSBE. 

The DOJ sent a letter to Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) on July 21 demanding access to the state’s voter rolls, along with a series of inquiries into how it maintains them. The DOJ’s letter also mentions that it “received a complaint that alleges Michigan is not compliant” with a provision of the Help America Vote Act’s voter ID requirements. 

The DOJ asked Benson’s office to address the complaint by providing “a description of the steps that Michigan has taken, and when those steps were taken, to identify registered voters who are ineligible to vote as well as the procedures Michigan used to remove those ineligible voters from the registration list.”

“The Secretary, Department of State, and Bureau of Elections follow the law,” Angela Benander, a spokesperson for Benson’s office, told Democracy Docket. “Many of the issues raised by DOJ in these communications have already been considered by the courts.” 

In May, a federal appeals court upheld a federal district court’s dismissal of a lawsuit by the right-wing legal group the Public Interest Legal Foundation that claimed Michigan does not maintain accurate voter rolls. Both courts ruled that Michigan’s voter rolls are accurate and its maintenance procedures are efficient. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals wrote in its ruling that “Michigan’s multi-layered efforts are more than reasonable.” 

Benson’s office has not yet responded to the DOJ’s requests.