DOJ Suing Arizona for Hiding Voter Data

The Trump administration is cracking down on state obstruction to safeguarding election integrity

In a decisive move to protect election integrity, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a lawsuit on January 6 against Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes. This latest move accompanies a nationwide push by the DOJ to enforce federal voting laws in recalcitrant Democrat-led states.

Since last summer, the federal government has demanded the immediate release of Arizona’s full, unredacted statewide voter registration list (SVRL). By refusing to comply, Fontes is not only flouting federal authority but also potentially concealing irregularities that could undermine the integrity of future elections in his state.

Under Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1960, states are obligated to provide election records upon the Attorney General's request. Arizona's SVRL includes data such as full names, birth dates, addresses, driver's license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers—information essential for verifying voter eligibility and preventing fraud under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and Help America Vote Act (HAVA).

Fontes is couching his outright rejection of the federal request in privacy concerns, ignoring that federal law prioritizes election integrity over state excuses. As the DOJ rightly argues, this refusal violates clear federal mandates and hinders efforts to root out non-citizen voting, duplicate registrations, and other vulnerabilities that have plagued states like his. His rebellion against the Trump administration’s requests also constitutes a violation of the very civil rights he claims to champion.