DHS Voter Data Collection Challenge
League of Women Voters v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security
A pro-voting lawsuit challenging DHS’s collection of voter data.
Background
The League of Women Voters (LWV), the Election Privacy Information Center (EPIC), and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) sued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), challenging the Trump administration’s “policy of collecting, maintaining, and using” voter data in pursuit of alleged voter fraud. The plaintiffs allege that the data includes voters’ personal information — including Social Security numbers and dates of birth — in violation of federal laws that limit the federal government’s collection of Americans’ personal data, including the Administrative Procedures Act, Privacy Act and Paperwork Reduction Act. The lawsuit seeks to block the Trump administration from using the data and to require the deletion of all data collected in furtherance of the policy.
Why it matters
The Trump administration has spread conspiracy theories about illegal, noncitizen voting since Trump lost the 2020 presidential election. Allegations of noncitizens voting have escalated as the U.S. Department of Justice’s campaign for states’ unredacted voter rolls has repeatedly failed in court. DHS Secretary Mullin has also threatened to prosecute state election officials who refuse to cooperate with his agency. Pro-voters’ lawsuit comes after a whistleblower alleged that DHS officials were ordered to unlawfully access state voting records to carry out the department’s escalating elections-related probes just weeks before the midterm elections.
Latest Updates
- Oct. 15, 2025: Plaintiffs filed their complaint.