Pennsylvania DOJ Voter Data Access Challenge

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

Background

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against Pennsylvania and Secretary of State Al Schmidt (R) for refusing to provide voter list maintenance information and an unredacted copy of its statewide voter registration list. On Aug. 4, the DOJ sent a letter to Schmidt requesting, among other things, a current copy of the statewide voter registration list and information on the removal of ineligible individuals from the voter rolls. According to the DOJ, Schmidt responded on Aug. 21 but agreed to provide only the public version of the voter records. 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 Pennsylvania 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. 16, 2025: Secretary Schmidt filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Proposed intervenors PARA also filed a proposed motion to dismiss the lawsuit for failure to state a claim.
• Nov. 25, 2025: Pennsylvania filed a motion to dismiss the Commonwealth as a party.
• Nov. 19, 2025: America First Policy Institute filed a motion to intervene as a plaintiff.
• Oct. 7, 2025: The NAACP and the NAACP Pennsylvania State Conference filed a motion to intervene as defendants. The court also granted the DOJ’s request to pause the case.
• Oct. 1, 2025: Because of the government shutdown, the DOJ has requested a pause in proceedings.
• Sept. 29, 2025: Pennsylvania Alliance for Retired Americans (PARA) and its President, Mike Crossey, filed a motion to intervene as defendants.
• Sept. 25, 2025: The DOJ filed its complaint.