Apr 1, 2026 · legal_action
DOJ sues Idaho for voter rolls containing partial SSNs marking 30th state in national campaign
The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division sues Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane for refusing to hand over the state's complete voter registration database, including partial Social Security numbers and driver's license numbers. The lawsuit, the 30th DOJ action against states for voter data, invokes the Civil Rights Act of 1960 and NVRA. McGrane, a Republican, reversed his earlier willingness to cooperate in February 2026, citing Idaho state privacy law and arguing there is "no clear legal duty" to provide partial SSNs to the federal government.
Apr 1, 2026 · judicial
Justice Department sues Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane for refusing to provide voter rolls
The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division sued Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane on April 1, 2026, demanding that Idaho turn over its complete statewide voter registration database, including partial Social Security numbers and driver's license numbers.
The lawsuit marked the DOJ's 30th action against states (plus D.C.) for not complying with federal demands for voter data. McGrane had initially appeared willing to cooperate when the DOJ first requested Idaho's voter rolls in September 2025, but the state reversed course in February 2026, with McGrane citing "no clear legal duty" to comply and pointing to Idaho state privacy law.
The DOJ invoked the Civil Rights Act of 1960 Title III and the National Voter Registration Act as the legal basis for its demands. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, said the lawsuit is part of the department's effort to ensure states comply with federal voter data requests.
Federal judges have already dismissed similar DOJ lawsuits in California, Michigan, and Oregon, while 17 Republican-led states have agreed to share voter data with the federal government.
Sep 8, 2025 · executive
Justice Department requests Idaho complete voter registration list including personal information
The Justice Department, in a September 8, 2025 letter from Attorney General Todd Blanche to Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane, demanded Idaho's statewide voter registration list including full name, date of birth, address, and driver's license or last four digits of social security number. The DOJ invoked Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960 and the National Voter Registration Act as the legal basis for the request. The letter stated the purpose was to ascertain compliance with list maintenance requirements of the Help America Vote Act. McGrane's office signed a DOJ file sharing access form on September 22, 2025. In a December 30, 2025 letter, McGrane acknowledged the Department of Justice's authority under the Civil Rights Act to request access to election-related records and informed that his office would "remain prepared to share a copy of our publicly available file" which does not contain personally identifiable information.
