Connecticut will not have to turn its voter rolls over to the Trump administration. A lawsuit attempting to force their release, brought against the state by the U.S. Department of Justice, was dismissed on Friday.
Last year, President Donald Trump's (R) administration asked all states to turn over their voter rolls — lists of who is registered to vote and sensitive information about them, including addresses, birth dates, and partial Social Security numbers.
Connecticut and more than 20 other states refused, so the Trump administration sued them for the records.
This comes as Trump continues to spread lies and misinformation about election integrity, including claims that hundreds of thousands of non-citizens are registered to vote.
A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit against Connecticut, saying the DOJ has no authority to force the state to provide its voter rolls.
“This lawsuit was an illegal attempt to disenfranchise Connecticut voters and today, the court shut it down,” CT Attorney General William Tong (D) said. “The Constitution is clear: the President does not control our elections and has no right to manipulate Connecticut voter rolls. Connecticut follows federal law and takes its obligations under federal law very seriously. We will not be bullied into handing over sensitive voter information just because Trump demands it.”
Several similar lawsuits against other states have also been dismissed, including one against New York last week. The administration is yet to win a lawsuit against one of the states that have refused.
Elections in the U.S. are administered by individual states and municipalities, not the federal government.
