New Jersey DOJ Voter Data Access Challenge

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

Background

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against New Jersey Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State Dale Caldwell (D) for refusing to produce the state’s full voter registration lists upon request. In Aug. 2025, 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). The lawsuit alleges the New Jersey Attorney General refused to provide the requested data. 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 29 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, Washington, Utah, Oklahoma, Kentucky, West Virginia, and New Jersey — all of which have refused to hand over unredacted voter files containing highly sensitive personal information.

Latest Updates

• Feb. 26, 2026: The DOJ filed its complaint.