Connecticut DOJ Voter Data Access Challenge

An anti-voting lawsuit seeking to compel Connecticut to provide the DOJ with access to its complete statewide voter registration database. 

Background

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against Secretary Stephanie Thomas (D) for refusing to turn over Connecticut’s complete, unredacted statewide voter registration list. In December, the DOJ demanded the complete voter file — including voters’ full names, dates of birth, residential addresses, and either driver’s license numbers or the last four digits of Social Security numbers — as part of a nationwide investigation into alleged non-compliance with federal voter list-maintenance requirements under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and Help America Vote Act (HAVA). According to the lawsuit, Thomas refused to fully provide the requested data, citing state privacy law. The DOJ argues this refusal violates Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960 (52 U.S.C. § 20703) and is asking the court to order production of the complete voter records.

Why It Matters

This marks the latest escalation in the DOJ’s efforts to obtain sensitive voter registration data from states across the country. In recent months, the DOJ has intensified its demands for voter information as part of a broader, politically charged push aimed at pressuring states to remove voters from the rolls and advancing the Trump administration’s unfounded claims of widespread illegal voting. The DOJ has now sued 24 states, plus Washington, D.C. — California, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Massachusetts, Georgia, Illinois, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Arizona, Virginia and Washington — all of which have refused to hand over unredacted voter files containing highly sensitive personal information.

Latest Updates

• March 19, 2026: Hearing scheduled on show cause order.
• Jan. 13, 2026: The court granted SEIU District 1199NE, the Connecticut Alliance for Retired Americans, Connecticut Citizen Action Group and a voter’s motion to intervene.
• Jan. 9, 2026: SEIU District 1199NE, the Connecticut Alliance for Retired Americans, Connecticut Citizen Action Group and a voter filed a motion to intervene as defendants.
• Jan. 8, 2026: The court issued a show cause order asking Connecticut to show why it should not be ordered to provide the DOJ with its statewide voter registration list.
• Jan. 7, 2026: DOJ filed a motion to compel the production of records.
• Jan. 6, 2026: DOJ filed its complaint.