The Trump administration is intensifying its efforts to investigate alleged voter fraud, moving toward creating a national citizenship database and scrutinizing suspected noncitizen voters—all under the banner of “election integrity.”
The latest actions, including an executive order, the appointment of a new federal prosecutor, and a growing series of lawsuits, have drawn criticism from opponents who warn that the administration’s push to compile sensitive voter information could be used to block eligible voters and cast doubt on the legitimacy of the 2026 midterm elections.
Federal Agencies Collaborate on Voter Data
The Justice Department (DOJ) recently finalized an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to share sensitive voter-roll data collected from states. This information is being cross-checked against a citizenship verification program that experts have long criticized for producing inaccurate results.
Last week, Trump officials suggested a potential tactic to pressure states that have resisted providing full voter lists: conditioning hundreds of millions of dollars in homeland security grants on sharing voter registration data or running voter rolls through federal immigration databases. The proposal, suggested by DHS election integrity official Heather Honey, had not been implemented as of Friday. A DHS spokesperson confirmed, “No changes to the Homeland Security Grant Program to announce at this time.”
Legal Battles and Executive Orders
For months, the DOJ has sought to assure courts that it is not attempting to build a national voter registry. Yet on March 31, President Donald Trump signed an executive order focused on citizenship data and mail-in ballots that appears to challenge states’ traditional authority over elections.
Two days earlier, outgoing Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed US Attorney Dan Bishop—who previously questioned Trump’s 2020 election loss—to examine voter registration data and identify noncitizen voters. The DOJ has filed lawsuits against 30 states and the District of Columbia for refusing to provide unredacted voter lists, acknowledging in court that the data could be used to identify potentially ineligible voters.
“The issue with data is that you can find ways to make it tell a certain story,” said Elisabeth Frost of Elias Law Group, which is representing voters opposing the DOJ’s demands. Critics say flawed methods could falsely suggest widespread voter fraud.
Trump’s Push for Federal Oversight
Trump has repeatedly claimed that U.S. elections are vulnerable to fraud, including noncitizen voting. Earlier this year, he advocated for federal oversight of voting in certain areas. The Trump-backed SAVE America Act would require states to periodically run voter rolls through DHS immigration databases to verify citizenship.
The administration has also repurposed the SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements) program—historically used to confirm eligibility for federal benefits—to review voter rolls. While more than two dozen states voluntarily use SAVE, even state-controlled applications have faced lawsuits for inaccurately flagging citizens as noncitizens.
Concerns Over Accuracy and Election Disruption
Election experts say the federal government lacks both the legal authority and reliable data to determine voter eligibility on a national scale. In Texas, for example, SAVE flagged 2,700 potential noncitizens from 18 million voters, but many of those flagged were later confirmed as U.S. citizens.
State officials warn that forcing states to comply with federal verification mandates could create confusion, chill voter participation, or even affect the certification of election results. “It places states in a very difficult position of having to scramble without adequate resources to comply with an unconstitutional and unlawful mandate,” said one Democratic official.
Administration Response
The White House maintains that the effort is necessary to protect American elections. “Election integrity has always been a top priority for President Trump, and the American people sent him back to the White House because they overwhelmingly supported his commonsense election integrity agenda,” said White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson.
Trump and allies have placed election skeptics in key positions, including DOJ Civil Rights Division head Harmeet Dhillon, who says preliminary analysis of 50–60 million voter records identified hundreds of thousands of deceased voters and tens of thousands of potential noncitizens.
Despite these claims, DHS data shows that only a fraction of voter records flagged by SAVE may involve noncitizens, and further investigation by states is required to confirm eligibility.
Looking Ahead
Legal challenges are expected to continue as Democrats, voter advocates, and state officials seek to block the administration’s latest directive. Experts anticipate courts will scrutinize the executive order closely, just as they did Trump’s 2025 efforts to tighten voter verification and mail-in voting rules.
“The president makes clear that creating a national voter list was the plan all along,” said election analyst David Becker. The outcome of these disputes could shape the administration’s approach to the 2026 midterms and the broader debate over election integrity.
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