Cantwell urges DOJ to stop pressuring states like WA for voter registration data

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington is calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to halt what she and other lawmakers describe as an unlawful effort to pressure states into turning over sensitive voter registration data.

Cantwell, a Democrat and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, joined dozens of senators in a letter urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to stop pursuing full state voter rolls, which include personally identifiable voter information.

Despite lacking legal authority, the DOJ has sued 24 states — including Washington — and Washington, D.C., for refusing to provide unredacted voter registration lists, according to the senators.

Why it matters

Privacy concerns: Voter rolls can include dates of birth, addresses, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers.

Election authority: States, not the federal government, are responsible for maintaining voter registration lists.

Legal setbacks: Federal courts in California, Oregon and Georgia have recently rejected DOJ lawsuits seeking voter data.

Minnesota letter and Georgia records raise alarms

The senators said the DOJ escalated its efforts when Bondi sent a letter to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz pushing him to surrender voter rolls as part of an exchange for withdrawing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection officers from Minneapolis.

"The Attorney General’s letter to Governor Walz ‘marked an unacceptable escalation of DOJ’s campaign to centralize state voter rolls and sensitive personal information under its control,’" the senators wrote. "It is also the clearest admission that the Department knows it lacks authority to obtain state voter rolls and is instead resorting to strong arm tactics and intimidation by force."

In Georgia, the senators cited concerns after the FBI seized 2020 election records from Fulton County following the dismissal and refiling of a DOJ lawsuit seeking voter data.

Lawmakers question safeguards for voter data

The senators said the DOJ has failed to explain how it is handling voter information already obtained from millions of Americans.

"While most states are resisting this illegal voter roll grab, we are gravely concerned by the amount of sensitive data the Department has already amassed on millions of American voters," they wrote. "The Department has failed to provide Congress, or the public, any information on how it is maintaining this vast amount of data, the guardrails in place to protect state voter information, how the data is to be used, or who in the federal government has access to this sensitive data."

Noncitizen voting found to be rare

The lawmakers also disputed claims that widespread noncitizen voting justifies the DOJ’s actions.

A review of Texas’ voter registration list of more than 18 million voters using the Department of Homeland Security’s SAVE program flagged just 33 people — 0.000001% — as potentially having voted illegally in the 2024 election.

They warned that expanded use of the SAVE program could mistakenly flag eligible voters, citing reports from Missouri county clerks who said known U.S. citizens were incorrectly identified as noncitizens.

What’s next

The senators are requesting responses from the DOJ, along with a briefing for Senate committees and lawmakers whose states have been sued.

The letter was signed by more than 30 senators, including Cantwell and lawmakers from Washington, California, Minnesota, Oregon and Georgia.

MORE NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE

Seattle-based Amazon to close Amazon Go, Amazon Fresh stores, shift focus

Gov. Ferguson, AG Brown write warning to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem

Treasured bible among stolen items returned after robbery in Pierce County

Man shot multiple times in Pierce County drive-by

Rivian amps up competition with Tesla, pledging $4.6M to WA ballot initiative

To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.

Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.