Maryland voters could soon see a major court fight over who controls their data and how much of it the federal government can see. The United States Justice Department has filed a new lawsuit to force the state to turn over full voter rolls.
What’s Happening:: The United States Department of Justice has sued six more states, including Maryland, to get full copies of their statewide voter registration lists. The cases are part of a larger push by the Trump administration to collect detailed election records from states.
- The new lawsuits name Maryland, Delaware, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.
- The Justice Department says it needs the data to check how states keep their voter rolls accurate and up to date.
What’s Important: For Maryland residents, the case centers on two core issues: privacy of personal data and who has the final say over elections. The state runs its own elections under the Constitution, but federal law also sets rules that states must follow.
What It Means For Maryland Voters: The federal government is asking for full voter lists that include personal details, such as names, dates of birth, addresses and other data that can identify a person. Some states say their laws bar them from sharing certain details, even with federal agencies.
Maryland’s response to the lawsuit will decide how much of its voter file is shared and what information remains protected. The case could affect:
- How much personal data about Maryland voters ends up in federal hands.
- How the state handles future requests for election records from Washington.
How We Got Here: The Justice Department has been sending letters to states asking for voter data and details on how they keep their rolls clean, such as removing people who have died or moved away. Some states have sent limited files, with some data blacked out. Others have refused to send private information, citing state privacy rules and their own power to manage elections.
The department has now sued at least 14 states after they did not provide what federal officials asked for. According to the Associated Press, the letters went to at least 26 states.
What Each Side Is Arguing: Federal officials say they are enforcing national voting laws and trying to make sure voter lists are accurate and secure. They argue that states that do not comply are blocking those efforts.
Some Democratic state officials and voting rights groups say they fear the data could be misused, or that voters could be wrongly removed from the rolls. They also question whether federal agencies will fully protect personal information once they receive it.
The Bigger Election Fight: These new lawsuits come as former President Donald Trump continues to challenge and question the 2020 election, which he lost to President Joe Biden, and as he and his allies focus on the 2026 midterm elections.
At the same time:
- Voting rights groups have sued the Trump administration over changes to a federal citizenship check system, warning it could lead to lawful voters being taken off the rolls.
- A group of 10 Democratic secretaries of state recently asked federal officials for more details on how voter lists are being gathered and used, raising alarms about data being fed into federal databases.
What’s Next For Maryland: The lawsuit now moves into federal court. A judge will decide whether Maryland must turn over more voter data and whether the Justice Department’s demand follows federal law and respects state privacy rules.
Until the case is resolved, Maryland’s current voter registration process and rules stay in place. The outcome could shape how future federal requests for voter data are handled, both in Maryland and across the country.
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