New York DOJ Voter Data Access Challenge

An anti-voting lawsuit seeking to compel New York 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 York, the State Board of Elections and election officials for refusing to provide voter list maintenance information and an unredacted copy of its statewide voter registration list. On June 30, the DOJ sent a letter to the State Board of Elections requesting a current copy of the statewide voter registration list and documentation of the state’s compliance with voter list maintenance procedures. According to the DOJ, the Board responded on Aug. 29 but provided only the public version of the voter registration list, citing state election laws, public disclosure laws, and federal privacy protections. 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 New York 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 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

• Jan. 6, 2026: The DOJ filed a motion to compel production of election records and in opposition to motions to dismiss.
• Dec. 30, 2025: New York and proposed intervenors NAACP filed motions to dismiss.
• Oct. 24, 2025: The League of Women Voters of New York filed a motion to intervene as a defendant.
• Oct. 1, 2025: The NAACP and the NAACP New York State Conference filed a motion to intervene as defendants.
• Sept. 25, 2025: The DOJ filed its complaint.