Despite court losses elsewhere, Justice Department sues Idaho over voter info
Idaho just joined a list of states the Trump administration is suing over a refusal to give the federal government access to the state’s full voter rolls.
Since May 2025, the Justice Department demanded — many say unconstitutionally — from 48 states and Washington, D.C., election records and data, including unredacted voter registration lists and ballots lists from previous elections.
It has lost in court several times but continues to sue both red and blue states, with Idaho being the 30th overall.
The information the department is requesting would include information such as full name, date of birth, address, driver’s license and the last four digits of a Social Security numbers. Many states have refused to comply, citing privacy laws.
The department announced Wednesday that Idaho was the latest to be sued.
On Sept. 8, 2025, Trump’s DOJ requested Idaho’s complete statewide voter registration list. Later that month, Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane provided the state’s publicly available voter registration list, which has limited information.
When pushed further for the unredacted data, McGrane refused to provide the information, citing state and federal privacy laws.
On Feb. 26, McGrane sent a letter to the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division declining the department’s request for the information. In the letter, McGrane cited concern for the privacy rights of Idahoans. He also stated that there was no clear legal basis requiring the state to disclose the unredacted information.
McGrane told the Statesman in an email that the state has “worked closely” with the Department of Homeland Security in its effort to review registered voters in the state and ensure that only U.S. citizens cast votes.
Voter fraud committed by non-U.S. citizens is exceedingly rare, despite repeated claims otherwise from President Donald Trump.
“I’m confident in Idaho’s elections and the efforts we’ve led to ensure secure and accessible elections,” McGrane stated. “This includes our extensive voter roll maintenance efforts leading into the 2024 Presidential Election with Governor Little’s Only Citizens Can Vote Act.”
According to McGrane, the state found 11 noncitizens out of over 1 million Idaho registered voters. He stated that those individuals were investigated and referred to the Department of Justice for prosecution.
“Idahoans have confidence in how we run our elections,” McGrane’s statement read in part. “With everything going on, it is a great reminder of the importance of voting.”
The DOJ has asserted that the U.S. attorney general has the power to request election records, citing the Civil Rights Act of 1960. It also claims that the act allows the attorney general to “demand the production, inspection and analysis” of statewide voter registration lists.
“The Justice Department will continue to fulfill its oversight role dutifully, neutrally, and transparently wherever Americans vote in federal elections,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon stated in a news release.
Federal judges have not agreed with the administration’s reading of U.S. law. Courts in California, Oregon and Michigan have dismissed the Justice Department’s lawsuits.
