The Justice Department is in talks with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) about transferring voter registration data collected from states for use in criminal and immigration investigations, according to government documents reviewed by Reuters.
Over recent months, DOJ’s Civil Rights Division requested voter registration information from at least 24 states, including full voter rolls from 22 of them, according to letters and a tracker maintained by the Brennan Center for Justice. The data, once transferred, would be cross-checked against Homeland Security law enforcement databases as part of DHS’s broader effort to become the primary hub for domestic intelligence vetting.
The transfer would be lawful since the information would be used in civil and criminal probes. In letters to states, DOJ said its collection effort was meant to ensure compliance with the Help America Vote Act and the National Voter Registration Act, both of which require states to maintain accurate and up-to-date voter rolls.
The department has also been in discussions with another DHS office that operates the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program, which historically tracked non-citizens for benefits verification. Government records show SAVE has been expanded to include additional personal data and is now being used in multiple states to vet voter rolls against immigration status.
