Exclusive: DNC flags legal risks in Trump DOJ voter roll request

The Democratic National Committee on Thursday sent letters to officials in 10 states urging them to reject a Justice Department request for unredacted voter files. The big picture: The DNC is warning states that the proposed agreement — which would require election officials to remove any alleged ineligible voters found during a federal review of voter rolls — violates federal election law. While the Justice Department has been seeking states' voter rolls since the summer of 2025, this marks the administration's clearest effort yet to obtain sensitive voter data.The DNC says the nonbinding memorandum of understanding (MOU) infringes on the National Voter Registration Act and could "erroneously" flag eligible voters as disqualified in future elections. State of play: Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Utah are among the states considering negotiations with the DOJ.If states accept the agreement, the federal government would take on a significant role in election administration, which is a responsibility the Constitution reserves for the states. The DOJ would subsequently be given access to drivers' license numbers, partial Social Security numbers, birth dates, party affiliation and voter participation history, per the DNC. The DNC argues that the 45-day Removal Demand, which would force states to clean voter registration data and remove ineligible voters within 45 days of receiving the notice from the DOJ, would likely lead to errors and force the DNC to divert funds and resources from other priorities. Worth noting: The Trump administration has previously attempted to restrict voter access, including Trump's March 2025 executive order requiring voter registration forms to include proof of citizenship, which was later struck down in court as unconstitutional.What they're saying: "The DNC won't stand idly by as the Trump DOJ tries to get access to voters' sensitive information and put eligible voters at risk of being wrongfully purged from voter rolls," DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement. "To be clear: Democrats stand ready to fight back and defend voters, and we're prepared to use the tools at our disposal to do so.""The Civil Rights Act, National Voting Rights Act, and Help America Vote Act all give the Department of Justice full authority to ensure states comply with federal election laws, which mandate accurate state voter rolls," White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Axios. "President Trump is committed to ensuring that Americans have full confidence in the administration of elections, and that includes totally accurate and up-to-date voter rolls free of errors and unlawfully registered non-citizen voters."The Justice Department did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment. Go deeper: Fontes rejects DOJ request for Arizona's full voter registration database