AURN News with Ebony McMorris

DOJ Sues More States Over Voter Registration Data

Ebony McMorris
December 19, 2025

Elisha McDonald, who's been without a home since February, signs voter registration form she has just filled out at Loaves and Fishes, a nonprofit facility for the homeless in Sacramento, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022. The Sacramento County Voter Registration and Election Department, visited Loaves and Fishes to give people who frequent the facility the opportunity to register to vote or update their registration information. Voters experiencing homelessness can receive ballots at a PO box, a shelter address, or a family member's household. They can also vote in person from Oct. 29-Nov. 8 at a Sacramento county voting center. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

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(AURN News) – The U.S. Department of Justice is expanding its legal fight over voter data, filing new lawsuits against Georgia, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C., claiming the states failed to provide full voter registration lists as required under federal law. According to the DOJ, the data is needed to enforce the National Voter Registration Act and ensure accurate voter rolls.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon says the department is acting to protect election integrity and promote transparency.

But reporting from Democracy Docket highlights sharp resistance from states and legal experts who say the DOJ is demanding unfettered access to highly sensitive personal information, including Social Security numbers and driver’s license data, and warn the effort could lead to the creation of an unprecedented national voter database.

Voting rights groups, including All Voting Is Local, are echoing the concerns, calling the lawsuits an abuse of power.

Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.

White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris is a native Washingtonian and University of South Carolina alumna. Her passion is mentoring young adults by teaching community empowerment and media education. She is an NAB member and board member of the Thurgood Marshall Center and was presented the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for contributing more than 4,000 hours of community service under the Obama Administration.