Since last May, the U.S. Department of Justice has asked at least 40 states, including Missouri, to turn over unredacted statewide voter registration data as part of a national review of voter rolls. The requests seek full voter files and personal identifying information that many states typically protect.
Missouri has not yet entered into an agreement with the Justice Department. Rachael Dunn, spokeswoman for Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, said the state has not signed a DOJ agreement “at this time.”
In a new development, the Democratic National Committee sent Hoskins a formal letter on Jan. 9 warning that signing the DOJ’s proposed agreement could contribute to unlawful voter purges and violate the National Voter Registration Act.
Missouri has also participated in efforts to share limited voter information on its own terms. In November, Missouri and Kansas signed an agreement to exchange registration information to identify people registered in both states. Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab said the goal is to reduce duplicate registrations when residents move across the state line.
National push for voter data
The federal request is part of a sweeping effort. Most states have declined to share complete records. Instead, many have provided only publicly available voter lists that exclude sensitive data such as Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a law and policy institute.
Some states have refused entirely. Attorney General Pamela Bondi has publicly announced a wave of lawsuits tied to the effort, as the Justice Department presses states to provide broader access to voter registration records. The Justice Department has sued 24 states and Washington, D.C., in an effort to compel compliance.
Those lawsuits have largely targeted Democratic-led states where election officials rejected the department’s initial data demands. Some state leaders have argued the request is unlawful and puts the privacy of millions of voters at risk. Critics have also voiced fears that the Trump administration could use the information to target political opponents.
The DOJ says the effort is tied to federal responsibilities under voting laws and part of its stated goal to strengthen election integrity. Harmeet Dhillon, who was confirmed in April as assistant attorney general for civil rights and leads the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said the department “has a statutory mandate to enforce federal voting rights laws,” and said maintaining confidence in elections is a top priority of the Trump administration.
Proposed requirements
The Justice Department has proposed agreements that would require states to submit their full voter files. Under the agreements, the DOJ would analyze the data and notify states of what it identifies as deficiencies or concerns. The agreements say states would then have 45 days to remove any ineligible voters identified through the review and resubmit updated lists to the DOJ.
David Becker, executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation & Research, called the DOJ requests alarming, saying they seek highly sensitive personal information, including dates of birth, Social Security information and driver’s license data. “They’re trying to use the power of the executive branch to bully states into turning over highly sensitive data,” Becker said.
Voting rights advocates also warn the information could be used to justify aggressive voter purges if database matches are inaccurate.
At the same time, at least 11 states — Alabama, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia and Missouri — have expressed willingness to work with the department, according to Eric Neff, acting chief of the DOJ’s Voting Section.
Missouri already on DOJ’s radar
Missouri has appeared on the DOJ’s radar for some time. In 2024, the Missouri Independent reported that the Justice Department contacted state election officials seeking access to voting equipment used in the 2020 presidential election.
A memo from the Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities said at least two county clerks were contacted by a DOJ official. Jasper County Clerk Charlie Davis said former Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft also encouraged him to cooperate.
The American Civil Liberties Union and ACLU of Rhode Island have sued to block the DOJ from obtaining Rhode Island’s full voter file, arguing that the request includes “sensitive, non-public information” such as full names, addresses, birth dates and driver’s license or Social Security data.
“This voter data could be misused to justify large-scale voter purges,” said Ari Savitzky, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project.
The Brennan Center’s Eileen O’Connor said the DOJ’s actions point toward a broader plan. “With each passing lawsuit, they are clearly trying to create a national database of every voter in the country,” she said.
What happens next will depend on the outcome of ongoing lawsuits and negotiations with state election officials. But the federal effort has already suffered its first major legal setback: On Jan. 15, a federal judge dismissed the Justice Department’s lawsuit against California, calling the demand for unredacted voter data an unprecedented and illegal overreach and warning that centralizing sensitive voter information could deter registration and participation.
For Missouri voters, the outcome could affect how personal information is handled, how closely federal officials become involved in state elections and whether future elections face new scrutiny over voter eligibility.
Sylvester Brown Jr. is the Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow.