Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar raised concerns about the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) requesting sensitive voter information from Nevada and other states. In a press briefing with the group States United, Aguilar and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said the DOJ’s request includes personal data such as Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers. The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division sent a letter in June asking Nevada and about two dozen other states for voter roll data and election-related information.
Most states, including Nevada, have provided public voter information but have withheld private data. However, Maine and Oregon have faced lawsuits for not fully cooperating. Aguilar and Benson argued that the DOJ’s demands go beyond standard oversight and could be seen as federal overreach, risking abuse or misuse of protected data.
Aguilar stressed the need for transparency from the federal government about how the data would be used and secured, especially after Nevada’s recent cyberattack. He emphasized that secretaries of state from both parties are united in protecting sensitive voter information and that any data request must be clearly justified.
Benson echoed these concerns, calling the request an unprecedented and significant overreach of presidential power. She noted that while some voter data is public, the most sensitive information should remain protected. The DOJ has not yet commented on the issue.
