DOJ Justifies Nationwide Voter Data Collection Amid State Resistance
The Department of Justice (DOJ) under the Trump administration has released a legal opinion supporting its efforts to collect voter data nationwide. This initiative is framed as a federal oversight measure to ensure voter eligibility, citing the 1960 Civil Rights Act as a legal basis. The DOJ argues that this act allows the Attorney General to demand voter records to investigate potential civil rights violations. The memo also references other federal election laws, such as the Help America Vote Act and the Voting Rights Act, to justify the federal role in maintaining accurate voter rolls. However, multiple federal courts have rejected this rationale, and several states have resisted the federal government's demands, citing a lack of evidence for widespread voter fraud. State officials, including Vermont's Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas, have criticized the DOJ's memo, dismissing it as ineffective and legally unfounded. 
