{"id":2079,"date":"2025-12-18T14:54:30","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T20:54:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/wisconsin\/?post_type=work&#038;p=2079"},"modified":"2026-04-09T14:55:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T19:55:19","slug":"u-s-v-wisconsin-elections-commission","status":"publish","type":"work","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/wisconsin\/work\/u-s-v-wisconsin-elections-commission\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. v. Wisconsin Elections Commission"},"template":"","class_list":["post-2079","work","type-work","status-publish","hentry","work_type-litigation"],"acf":{"details":{"summary":"The Trump administration has sued several states, including Wisconsin, in an attempt to collect non-public voter files with sensitive voter data \u2013 now, Common Cause has been granted a motion to intervene in the lawsuit on behalf of Wisconsin. ","featured_image":"","work_type":176,"related_issues":false,"location":64},"sidebar":{"helper_enable_sidebar":true,"helper_media_contact":{"heading":"Media Contact","manually_enter_person":false,"person":"","name":"","role":"","phone":"","email":""},"helper_links_downloads":{"heading":"Links & Downloads","links":[{"file_download":true,"link":null,"file":58332}]}},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_wysiwyg":{"content":"<span data-contrast=\"auto\">Common Cause filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit brought by the\u00a0Department of Justice against\u00a0Wisconsin\u00a0that demands it hand over its\u00a0non-public\u00a0voter file. A district court has\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">granted our motion<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, meaning Common Cause is now\u00a0party\u00a0to the lawsuit, and we are\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">seeking its dismissal<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span>\r\n<h3>Common Cause Granted Motion to Intervene in Wisconsin Voter Data Case<\/h3>\r\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">By law, states, not the federal government, have the authority to\u00a0maintain\u00a0their voter files, which\u00a0contain\u00a0sensitive information including full names, addresses, dates of birth, driver\u2019s\u00a0license\u00a0and partial Social Security numbers. However, the Trump administration has been on a quest to collect these databases to assemble their own master voter file, a move that\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">threatens the integrity of our elections<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">risks disenfranchising<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">many Americans<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span>\r\n<h3>Wisconsin Election Officials Resist Federal Pressure for Non-Public Data<\/h3>\r\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">Most of these states, including\u00a0Wisconsin, have resisted pressure from the DOJ to hand over voter data.\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wpr.org\/news\/wisconsin-election-commission-us-doj-lawsuit-voter-list\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">The state\u2019s election officials have refused to comply.<\/span><\/a><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0Now,\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0among the several states\u00a0being sued for\u00a0the voter file<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0by the\u00a0Trump\u00a0administration. In response, Common Cause has filed motions to intervene in several of these lawsuits. Our motion in\u00a0Wisconsin\u00a0was granted.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span>\r\n<p aria-level=\"2\"><strong>What\u2019s\u00a0next in this case?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">Moving forward,\u00a0the State of\u00a0Wisconsin, Common Cause, and its partners are seeking the dismissal of this lawsuit, which would reject the Trump administrations\u00a0attempt\u00a0to collect this sensitive data.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span>\r\n<p aria-level=\"2\"><strong>What is at risk if the DOJ gets ahold of state voter files?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">Trump has repeatedly signaled his willingness to undermine our democracy to stay in power. Whether\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/fbi-georgia-elections-office-fulton-county-28e736037521b17197760d2394f0ab43\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">continuing to spread disproven conspiracies about the 2020 election<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0or\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/02\/07\/nx-s1-5704400\/what-does-it-mean-when-the-president-calls-to-nationalize-the-voting\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">calling on Republicans to \u201cnationalize the voting,\u201d<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0he has shown\u00a0time and again\u00a0that\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">winning is more important to him than a fair and free democracy<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">Demanding state voter files is another attempt to undermine states\u2019 statutory power to manage elections, and the disenfranchisement that the Trump administration could carry out with a master national voter file is deeply concerning.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">A list like this could be used to conduct\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">strategic and widespread purges<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0of eligible voters from voter rolls, including purges that are targeted based on factors like location, age, and gender\u00a0in an effort to\u00a0gain a\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">partisan advantage<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">And given the Department of Homeland Security\u2019s cruel attacks on immigrants and communities of color, regardless of their citizenship status, a potential federal database like this poses even greater risk \u2013 already, the DOJ\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/stateline.org\/2025\/09\/12\/doj-is-sharing-state-voter-roll-lists-with-homeland-security\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">has acknowledged<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0that it is\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">sharing voter information with DHS<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. Knowing that the federal government has collected a database of sensitive information could intimidate potential voters from these communities and prevent them from registering to vote.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:276}\">\u00a0<\/span>"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_accordion","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_accordion":{"heading":"F.A.Q.","panels":[{"panel_heading":"Why is Wisconsin refusing to hand over its voter files to the DOJ?","panel_copy":"Wisconsin election officials argue that under state and federal law, the authority to maintain and protect voter files rests with the state, not the federal government. They contend that the DOJ's demand for sensitive information\u2014such as driver's license and partial Social Security numbers\u2014violates voter privacy and lacks legal justification."},{"panel_heading":"What sensitive information is included in the Wisconsin voter file?","panel_copy":"The non-public voter files at the center of the lawsuit contain highly personal data, including <b data-path-to-node=\"22\" data-index-in-node=\"167\">full names, residential addresses, dates of birth, driver\u2019s license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers<\/b>. Common Cause and state officials warn that centralizing this data in a federal database creates significant security and privacy risks for Wisconsin citizens."},{"panel_heading":"How could a federal \"Master Voter File\" impact the 2026 midterm elections?","panel_copy":"Experts warn that a centralized national voter database could be used to conduct <b data-path-to-node=\"23\" data-index-in-node=\"159\">targeted voter purges<\/b>. By analyzing data based on age, gender, and location, the federal government could remove eligible voters from the rolls to gain a partisan advantage, threatening the integrity of the <b data-path-to-node=\"23\" data-index-in-node=\"366\">2026 midterm elections<\/b>."},{"panel_heading":"How does DOJ and DHS information sharing affect Wisconsin voters?","panel_copy":"The DOJ has acknowledged sharing state voter data with the <b data-path-to-node=\"24\" data-index-in-node=\"128\">Department of Homeland Security (DHS)<\/b>. This cooperation is a major concern for advocacy groups because it can create a \"chilling effect\" among immigrant communities and communities of color, potentially intimidating eligible Wisconsin residents and discouraging them from registering to vote."}]}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_add_component","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_add_component":null},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_take_action","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_take_action":{"heading":"Take Action","button_text":"","manually_curate":false,"action":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_banner","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_banner":{"use_donate_banner":true,"title":"Title [highlight]with highlighting[\/highlight] and additional text.","button":null,"image":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_related_articles","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_related_articles":{"heading":"Updates","button_text":"See all Related Articles","manually_curate":false,"articles":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_resources","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_resources":{"heading":"Related Resources","button_text":"See all Related Resources","manually_curate":false,"resource":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_press","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_press":{"heading":"Press","button_text":"","manually_curate":false,"press":null}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_events","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_events":{"heading":"Events"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_our_experts","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_our_experts":{"heading":"","manually_curate":false,"people":null}}]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.6 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>U.S. v. 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