Justice Department Subpoenas Nevada Voter Data in Escalating Election Inquiry

LAS VEGAS – The Justice Department has issued subpoenas to Nevada's secretary of state seeking voter information, marking the latest effort by the Trump administration to insert the federal government directly into the administration of elections .

Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar confirmed the subpoenas on Friday, joining a growing list of states that have received similar DOJ requests for voter registration data.

The subpoenas are part of a broader, multi-state effort by the Trump administration's Justice Department to obtain voter rolls and related records. According to a report from the civil rights group Red Line for Civil Rights, the Department of Justice has lost 21 lawsuits filed against states that have refused to comply with its data requests . No state has lost a case, and the DOJ has not won a single lawsuit in this effort .

What the DOJ Is Seeking

The subpoenas to Nevada are seeking driver's license records and partial Social Security numbers for every registered voter in the state, according to Aguilar . The request comes just weeks after Nevada government agencies were hit with a crippling ransomware attack in August. While election infrastructure was not affected, the cyberattack has heightened concerns over the security of Nevadans' personal information .

Aguilar has expressed concern about the DOJ's requests and has indicated he will not release the voter data to the Trump administration . Nevada is one of several states that have resisted the federal government's demands.

The Legal Battleground

The DOJ is invoking the Civil Rights Act of 1960 to justify its requests for voter data — a law originally enacted to stop Southern officials from purging Black voters through hidden discrimination . Courts have repeatedly rejected this interpretation.

"The court in Illinois delivered yet another loss to DOJ," wrote the civil rights group. "Congress did not confer a general auditing power to the DOJ over state election officials" .

Where things stand in the DOJ's 31 lawsuits :

In the Sixth Circuit, a panel affirmed the dismissal of the DOJ's case against Michigan, and the department has moved for review by the full court .

The Broader Context

The Nevada subpoenas come as the Trump administration has intensified its scrutiny of election administration nationwide. The Justice Department has also been involved in legal battles over state voter purges, with the administration supporting efforts to remove voters from rolls — a move that has alarmed voting rights advocates.

The administration's legal strategy has drawn criticism from both parties. "Congress did not confer a general auditing power to the DOJ over state election officials," the Illinois court said .

Aguilar, a Democrat, has become a leading voice among state election officials resisting the federal demands. His refusal to release the data has put Nevada at the center of the legal showdown between states' rights and federal authority over elections.

What Comes Next

Nevada's case remains pending, with no ruling yet issued . The DOJ has not publicly commented on Aguilar's refusal to comply.

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