DOJ sues Fulton County over 2020 voter data 

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit against Fulton County, Georgia, and its election clerk, Ché Alexander, over the county’s refusal to provide voter records from the 2020 general election. The action is part of a broader DOJ initiative to collect election and voter data from state and local governments ahead of the 2026 midterms and 2028 presidential election.

In the lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of Georgia, DOJ officials argue that Fulton County violated the Civil Rights Act by failing to comply with a federal request for election records. The records sought include used and void ballots, ballot stubs, signature envelopes, and corresponding digital files from the 2020 election. The department also cited potential violations of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon and Acting Chief of the Voting Rights Section Eric Neff argued that the court should not question the DOJ’s written demand or the scope of the requested records. “The Attorney General need only show that she made a written demand for records covered by Section 301 of the Civil Rights Act and that the person against whom an order is sought has failed or refused to make such papers available,” they stated in court filings.

The lawsuit comes amid a nationwide effort by the DOJ to collect voter registration and election data. On the same day the Fulton County suit was announced, the Civil Rights Division expanded a related federal lawsuit to include Colorado, Massachusetts, Hawaii, and Nevada, bringing the total number of states involved to 18.

An online tracker by the Brennan Center for Justice indicates that the DOJ has sent data requests to at least 40 states since May 2025. Most states have either partially complied or rejected the requests entirely. Only Indiana and Wyoming have fully provided the requested voter registration databases, while others supplied only publicly available information, excluding sensitive details such as Social Security numbers and driver’s license data.

The DOJ’s actions have sparked political debate. Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who is running for governor next year, has consistently maintained that Georgia’s 2020 and 2024 elections were secure, fair, and valid.

This lawsuit underscores ongoing tensions between federal authorities and state election officials over access to voter data and the federal government’s role in monitoring election integrity.