Trump administration’s voter data collection efforts face legal challenges

As noted by Cyberscoop, the Trump administration released a legal opinion outlining its rationale for nationwide voter data collection, asserting a federal role in vetting voter eligibility. This position has been repeatedly rejected by courts in related litigation.

The Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel issued a memo arguing that a provision in the 1960 Civil Rights Act, requiring election officials to retain voter records for 22 months, grants the Attorney General the authority to obtain copies of these records. The memo also cites other federal election laws to support the executive branch's efforts to modernize voting systems and maintain accurate voter rolls. It contends that the presence of non-citizens on voter rolls is sufficient to trigger federal data collection and sharing with immigration authorities.

However, multiple federal courts have dismissed similar lawsuits, and states have consistently found the number of non-citizens registered or voting to be infinitesimal. Election officials have largely resisted these federal demands, citing state laws and a lack of evidence of widespread fraud. The administration's attempts to create its own list of eligible voters and deny federal funding to states that do not comply have also faced legal challenges and judicial skepticism.

Source: cyberscoop