Minnesota DOJ Voter Data Access Challenge 

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

Background

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against Minnesota and Secretary of State Steve Simon (D) for refusing to provide voter list maintenance information and an unredacted copy of its statewide voter registration list. On June 25, the DOJ sent a letter to Simon 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. Simon responded on July 25, providing information on the state’s list maintenance procedures but declining to provide the statewide voter registration list. The DOJ argues that this falls short of federal requirements and violates the Help America Vote Act, and the Civil Rights Act of 1960. The DOJ is asking the court to compel Minnesota 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. On the same day it sued Minnesota, the DOJ also filed lawsuits against California, Michigan, New York, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania for refusing to turn over unredacted statewide voter registration lists. Earlier this month, DOJ filed similar lawsuits against Oregon and Maine.

Latest Updates

• Sept. 25, 2025: The DOJ filed its complaint.