States Want to Know: Why Does the DOJ Want Their Voter Rolls, Really?

The top election officials in 10 states are banding together to push back against the Trump administration’s demands for voter registration records, sending a joint letter Tuesday to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Justice (DOJ) asking the federal government to clear up the contradictory statements the agencies have made over the data’s use. 

“We are deeply concerned about the inconsistent and misleading information that Secretaries have received from the DOJ and DHS and with the potential lack of compliance with federal law,” the secretaries of state wrote.

The DOJ has been pressing states since May for their registration rolls, which include sensitive personal information of every single voter, claiming the agency wants to ensure compliance with federal voter laws.

But the DOJ has been sharing that information with DHS for its Systemic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database, which the Trump administration has expanded into a voter citizenship confirmation system that combines data from various federal agencies. The Trump administration began overhauling SAVE without providing notice required under federal privacy and administrative laws. 

The letter, signed by the secretaries of state from Arizona, California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont and Washington, says election officials have been told conflicting things from DOJ and DHS officials about how their registration data are being used. The signatories ask the DOJ to confirm whether state voter files have been (or will be) shared with DHS or other federal agencies. And if voters’ information has been shared, the letter asks the DOJ to explain why election officials were not informed first and to provide full details of the data transfers.

The secretaries also refer to contradictory statements reported by Democracy Docket that were made by Heather Honey, an election denier who works as an “election integrity” official at DHS, and a DHS spokesman. 

“DHS’s Heather Honey, who has a history of spreading false claims about elections, told

attendees at a September 11, 2025 meeting that DHS had not received voter data or requested it. She then suggested that DHS had no intention of using voter data,” the secretaries write. “The same day, DHS publicly contradicted her representation and confirmed that they had received this data and would input it into the unproven and potentially insecure citizenship-check system, SAVE.”

Many states have refused the DOJ’s demands, saying they violate privacy laws. The agency stepped up its pressure this fall, suing eight states for voter records — including California, Minnesota Maine, and Oregon.