A legal fight over who gets to see personal information about American voters has reached federal court.
Three organizations sued the Department of Homeland Security on Oct. 15, 2026, arguing that the agency’s effort to gather and compile voter data from nearly every state is illegal.
Who filed the voter data lawsuit?
The League of Women Voters, the Electronic Privacy Information Center and the League of United Latin American Citizens filed the complaint in federal court in the District of Columbia.
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan group that promotes voter participation. The Electronic Privacy Information Center focuses on privacy rights, and the League of United Latin American Citizens is a longtime Latino civil rights organization.
What do the groups claim?
They argue that the effort violates the Privacy Act. That federal law allows agencies to keep only information that is relevant and necessary for purposes they are authorized to carry out. Congress passed the Privacy Act in 1974 after the Watergate scandal, partly to guard against government misuse of personal records.
The groups said Congress created the department to prevent terrorism, secure the border and address other specific threats. They argued it was never meant to run a broad search for voter fraud built on the private information of millions of Americans. They described the effort as a dragnet aimed at voters rather than at real threats.
They also said the records reflect the exercise of constitutional rights that are essential to democracy. The Privacy Act places special limits on government records about how people exercise certain rights.
What voter data do states collect?
Federal law requires states to keep lists of registered voters. Those lists always include voters’ names and usually include other details, such as addresses, sex, dates of birth and full or partial Social Security numbers. States use the lists to run elections and to confirm voters’ identities at the polls.
Certain individuals and groups can request voter data from states, but there are limits on who can ask and on how the information can be shared. Many states bar requesters from using the lists for commercial purposes.
Rules vary from state to state. Some states make basic voter lists widely available, while others restrict access to political campaigns, election officials or researchers.
Why is DHS collecting voter data?
Federal officials say the goal is to combat voter fraud. The administration has made the integrity of voter rolls a priority and has pushed to verify that only eligible citizens are registered. Supporters of such efforts argue that comparing state lists with federal records can catch noncitizens or people registered in more than one state.
Studies have found that voter fraud is rare in the United States, though errors such as outdated registrations do occur. Critics warn that combining large sets of records can lead to mistakes that wrongly flag eligible voters.
The department did not respond to a request for comment. It was not immediately clear how the department obtained the records from each state or how they are stored.
What happens next with the voter data case?
A federal judge will consider the groups’ claims. The plaintiffs could seek to stop the department from collecting or using the voter data while the case moves forward.
The lawsuit comes weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, when election security and voter privacy are drawing heavy attention. Election officials in several states have also raised concerns about sharing sensitive voter information with federal agencies.
The outcome could shape how much access federal agencies have to the voter data states collect. It could also set limits on how agencies use such records in future elections.
