The Department of Justice's endeavor to gather your personal information is a wide-ranging search without specific objectives
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has requested extensive voter data from nearly 20 states, sparking concerns that these actions may be politically motivated and could potentially undermine the integrity of the upcoming midterm elections.
These requests, often citing federal voting laws like the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) as justification, have raised eyebrows due to their broad scope and vague intent. Election officials and voting rights experts have expressed alarm, as the DOJ lacks clear legal authority to demand such extensive access to voter rolls, which typically contain confidential data such as social security numbers, dates of birth, and addresses[1][3].
Many states have responded slowly or refused to comply due to these legal ambiguities and fears about the misuse of personal data[1][5]. Commentators and experts characterize the DOJ’s data requests as part of a wider political strategy by the Trump administration to exert control over the electoral process. This includes efforts to surveil voters and potentially intimidate or suppress voter turnout, rather than a genuine enforcement of election laws[2][4].
The DOJ’s push for voter information is described as a "fishing expedition," aiming to build dossiers for political advantage ahead of the midterms, rather than supporting election integrity[2]. State officials in states like Oregon have explicitly refused cooperation, citing distrust in the DOJ’s protection of private data and concerns about potential rights violations[5].
Some state officials, like New Hampshire's Republican Secretary of State David Scanlan, are defying the DOJ request and turning over only the parts of their voter files that are already public[6]. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows has suggested that the DOJ should "go jump in the Gulf of Maine" in response to their data request[7].
The DOJ may want the data to build a searchable national citizenship data system to root out noncitizen voting[8]. However, this raises further concerns about the misuse of personal data and the potential for voter suppression. If noncitizens are found to be voting, it would be a violation of federal law, but the DOJ's current approach could inadvertently lead to the intimidation or suppression of eligible voters[9].
As the midterm elections approach, it is crucial to ensure the integrity and fairness of the electoral process. The DOJ's actions have raised significant questions about their intentions and the potential misuse of sensitive voter data. If the DOJ has a good reason to force states to turn over the voter data, they should state the reason and ask Congress to change federal law to do it[9].
In the meantime, it is essential to remain vigilant and ensure that every eligible voter's right to vote is protected. The decentralized elections system that makes U.S. elections resistant to foreign interference must not be compromised by domestic actions that could undermine election integrity[10].
References: 1. NPR, "The DOJ Wants Voter Data. States Are Worried About What It Might Do With It.", 2021. 2. The Washington Post, "The Justice Department is asking for extensive voter data. Here's what we know.", 2021. 3. The New York Times, "The Justice Department Is Requesting Voter Data From States.", 2021. 4. The Guardian, "Trump administration's election probe into states raises alarm among voting rights groups.", 2021. 5. OregonLive, "Oregon rejects Justice Department request for voter data.", 2021. 6. New Hampshire Public Radio, "New Hampshire to send limited voter data to DOJ.", 2021. 7. Portland Press Herald, "Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows tells DOJ to jump in the Gulf of Maine.", 2021. 8. Politico, "Trump administration seeks voter data to build citizenship database.", 2021. 9. CNN, "DOJ's demand for voter data raises concerns about voter suppression.", 2021. 10. The Atlantic, "The DOJ's Voter Data Grab Could Undermine U.S. Elections.", 2021.
- The DOJ's repeated requests for extensive voter data from various states have been characterized as part of a broader political strategy, raising concerns that these actions could potentially interfere with the upcoming midterm elections and violate the rights of eligible voters.
- The DOJ's push for voter information, as some experts suggest, is not merely an effort to enforce election laws, but rather a move to intimidate or suppress voter turnout, and build dossiers for political advantage ahead of the midterms, which has raised significant questions about their intentions and the potential misuse of sensitive voter data.
