The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Oct. 3, 2025
Last month, Maine and Oregon were the first to be sued by the Trump Department of Justice for refusing to provide voter data and election process information to be shared within federal agencies. Six more states have been sued, and it could be a good thing.
September 25th, DOJ rolled out complaints for Pennsylvania, Michigan, California, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and New York.
In August, Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt, a Republican, told DOJ: “Your letter dated August 14 specifically asked for detailed personal and confidential information, including driver’s license numbers and social security numbers, for all Pennsylvania voters. This request, and reported efforts to collect broad data on millions of Americans, represent a concerning attempt to expand the federal government’s role in our country’s electoral process.” UNQUOTE
States have loudly reminded DOJ that the states and Congress are empowered by the U.S. Constitution for election oversight, not the federal government, and that the requests violate both state and federal privacy statutes.
Writing in Election Law Blog, Professor of Law at LMU Loyola Law School, Justin Levitt writes that the DOJ legal action could turn out to be a good thing. He said, “Now there will be federal judges carefully examining the claims that DOJ has made about its authority under specific statutes, and truly putting them to the test.” We have more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.
Today’s Links
Articles & Resources:
American Democracy Minute – Justice Department Sues Maine & Oregon for Withholding State Voter Registration and Voting Data from Trump Administration
U.S. Dept. of Justice – Justice Department Sues Six States for Failure to Provide Voter Registration Rolls
Stateline News – DOJ files suit against six states that refused to share voter data
U.S. Constitution Elections Clause – Article I , Section 4 Congress, Clause 1 Elections Clause
Election Law Blog, Justin Levitt, Professor of Law at LMU Loyola Law School – DOJ sues six more states over the voter file
U.S. District Court, Central California – DOJ Complaint against State of California
Groups Taking Action:
Common Cause NE, ACLU PA, League of Women Voters US
Register or Check Your Voter Registration:
U.S. Election Assistance Commission – How to Register And Vote in Your State
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