Michigan DOJ Voter Data Access Challenge 

An anti-voting lawsuit seeking to compel Michigan to provide the DOJ with access to its statewide voter registration data. 

Background

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against Michigan and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) for refusing to provide voter list maintenance information and an unredacted copy of its statewide voter registration list. On July 21, the DOJ sent a letter to Benson requesting, among other things, a current copy of the statewide voter registration list and documentation of the state’s compliance with voter list maintenance procedures. Benson responded on Sept. 9, citing privacy concerns and offering only the public version of the statewide voter registration list. The DOJ argues that this falls short of federal requirements and violates the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act, and the Civil Rights Act of 1960. The DOJ is asking the court to compel Michigan to produce the requested records, including the state’s full voter list with each voter’s date of birth, address and other sensitive information. 

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 21 states total, 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 and Washington — all of which have refused to hand over unredacted voter files containing highly sensitive personal information.

Latest Updates

• Dec. 9, 2025: The court granted MARA’s motion to intervene as defendants and denied the League’s motion to intervene. MARA filed a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim.
• Nov. 26, 2025: Michigan filed a motion to dismiss.
• Oct. 30, 2025: The League of Women Voters of Michigan filed a motion to intervene as a defendant.
• Oct. 2, 2025: The court denied the DOJ’s request to pause the entire case, but extended the deadline to respond to motion to intervene until Nov. 13.
• Oct. 1, 2025: Because of the government shutdown, the DOJ has requested a pause in proceedings.
• Sept. 30, 2025: Two voters and the Michigan Alliance for Retired Americans (MARA) filed a motion to intervene in the DOJ’s lawsuit seeking Michigan’s complete, unredacted voter registration list.
• Sept. 25, 2025: The DOJ filed its complaint.