Trump administration collected sensitive voter data in key states ahead of midterm polls: Report

One of President Donald Trump's primary agendas in his second term has been to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act. While Republican lawmakers believe the law will protect the sanctity of elections by mandating picture IDs to vote, Democrats continue to claim that the law would disenfranchise several American voters. 

Among their several objections to the bill, Democrats have centered their opposition on provisions requiring documentary proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate, at the time of registration. "The SAVE Act is just the latest in the ongoing assault on our democracy…Instead of working to meet the needs of the American people, House Republicans are busy spreading fear and lies to justify their attempts to disenfranchise millions of eligible voters," Rep. Terri Sewell, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Elections, said on the House Floor.

Opponents further argue that the Act's mandate for "real-time" federal verification of voter rolls would allow the executive branch to purge valid voters under the guise of administrative maintenance, a move they claim targets minority communities in key swing states. And now, an explosive report by Reuters, published Monday, indicates a coordinated effort by the Trump administration across several states to increase federal control over the 2026 midterm elections. 

As per the report, the Trump administration is attempting to nationalize oversight of elections in at least eight key states where Democrats have an edge. The Reuters investigation found instances in which federal resources, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), were used to collect sensitive voter data from Arizona, Ohio, Colorado, Missouri, Connecticut, Nevada, Georgia, and Michigan.

In Ohio, the report claimed that federal officials sought and obtained voter records from at least six counties for unspecified investigations. In Arizona, the FBI and DHS sought records related to the 2020 election audit report. A similar request was made in Nevada, where the FBI sought voter records from the Secretary of State’s office. In January, Fulton County, in Georgia, was raided for 2020 election records.

The report comes after President Trump signed an executive order that aims to give the federal government unprecedented authority over mail-in voting and voter eligibility requirements. The order directs the DHS to work in tandem with the Social Security Administration to create a list of eligible voters in each state, which will be called "The State Citizenship List." The list compiled from various government records, including citizenship and naturalization and the SSA, will be shared with the U.S. Postal Service, which will then send the mail-in or absentee ballots only to the approved voters, and those not on the list won't get an option to vote by mail.