Trump DOJ asked for WA voter data. Here’s what Secretary of State has decided to do

The Washington Secretary of State on Sept. 23 responded to the U.S. Department of Justice’s request for all fields of Washington’s voter registration list by saying they can have only information that is already publicly disclosable under state law.

The publicly disclosable fields include the voter’s name, address, year of birth, and voting history, Secretary of State Steve Hobbs announced in a news release.

Protected information, including the last four digits of a Social Security number, a driver’s license number, or a full date of birth, is not subject to public disclosure, according to the news release.

“While we will provide the DOJ with the voter registration data that the state law already makes public, we will not compromise the privacy of Washington voters by turning over confidential information that both state and federal law prohibit us from disclosing,” said Hobbs in a statement.

On Sept. 8, Washington state and at least 21 other states received the voter registration request as signed by U.S. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, McClatchy previously reported.

According to the Sept. 23 release, the DOJ letter cites sections of the National Voter Registration Act and Help America Vote Act in their request for confidential data; however, nothing in the provisions require that states provide that information, Hobbs noted.

“The request also raises concerns about the DOJ’s shifting explanations for why it seeks this information, including public reporting that the DOJ may use state voter files to build a national database or share records with other agencies for unauthorized purposes,” the release reads. “Secretary Hobbs noted that such use could raise significant legal questions under the federal Privacy Act of 1974, which requires strict protections when creating or maintaining federal systems of records.”

A DOJ spokesperson said via email earlier in September 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, McClatchy reported.

“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.”

A copy of Secretary Hobbs’ letter to the DOJ is available on the Secretary of State website.

This story was originally published September 23, 2025 at 2:32 PM.