DOJ requests WA voter rolls, personal info in ‘full-throated attack’ on elections
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- DOJ requested full voter registration data from Washington, more than 20 other states
- State officials cite legal protections and demand clarity before any release
- Trump administration escalates attempts to influence state-run election systems
The U.S. Department of Justice has asked Washington to provide its voter rolls, according to the Office of the Secretary of State.
But whether the state will fulfill that request remains to be seen.
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs announced Sept. 10 that the DOJ sent a letter to his office requesting a complete copy of the state’s voter registration database within two weeks. Similar versions of the request, signed by U.S. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon and received Sept. 8, have been delivered to at least 22 states, Hobbs said.
The Trump administration is seeking voters’ full names, home addresses, dates of birth, and their driver’s license numbers or last four Social Security digits, the Secretary of State’s Office says.
But some of that information is private.
Hobbs’ office said in a news release that full birth dates as well as driver’s license numbers and the last four Social Security numbers are protected under state law — and they aren’t featured in the public-facing voter registration database.
“To that end, I do not plan on releasing any information until DOJ provides me information on what they plan to do with the data,” Hobbs said in a statement. “My office will respond to the DOJ once I’ve had the opportunity to fully assess that information while working with stakeholders, and ensuring our response meets both state and federal legal requirements.”
Reached for comment, a DOJ spokesperson said via email that enforcing U.S. election laws is a “priority in this administration and in the Civil Rights Division.” The department was given the authority by Congress to ensure states follow proper voter registration procedures, and that voter rolls feature only those eligible to cast ballots in federal elections.
“The recent request by the Civil Rights Division for state voter rolls is pursuant to that statutory authority,” the spokesperson said, “and the responsive data is being screened for ineligible voter entries.”
Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown said at a media availability Sept. 10 that his team is working directly with Hobbs’ office and other impacted agencies to examine the request’s legality. If his office is required to respond, it will do so in accordance with the law, he said.
Brown noted that the DOJ has asked for a decade’s worth of state voting data.
“What we are seeing from this administration is a really full-throated attack on the states’ ability to control their elections,” he said.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting states that depend heavily on mail-in voting. Washington and Oregon filed a lawsuit challenging the move.
Another recent executive order also takes aim at states’ ability to control their own elections, in spite of clear legal precedent saying that states can decide their election systems’ terms and conditions, Brown said.
In his view, Brown says Trump wants to control the outcomes of state elections. The president has continuously lied about rampant voter fraud, “which we know is false,” and the result of the 2020 presidential election, he added.
Now Trump has his sights set on the 2026 midterms, Brown said, citing the demand that Texas carve out five more Republican congressional seats.
“This president wants to dictate the decisions of the American public in so many different areas,” Brown said. “And if you can control elections, then you can control the future of his policy priorities — and we can’t let that happen.”
McClatchy has contacted the White House seeking comment.
This story was originally published September 10, 2025 at 3:21 PM.
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