DHS posts portal for Trump’s voter-list plan, report says
Key Takeaways
- •The Department of Homeland Security has launched a new webpage called the “State Citizenship Lists Portal.”
- •The portal currently displays a message that the voter eligibility lists are “coming soon.”
- •A March executive order directed DHS and the Social Security Administration to compile state-by-state lists of people deemed eligible to vote.
- •Voting-rights and privacy advocates argue that a federal voter eligibility database would be unprecedented and may violate privacy protections.
- •The Electronic Privacy Information Center has filed a lawsuit over the project, calling it unlawful.
The Department of Homeland Security has quietly published a new webpage intended to support President Donald Trump’s unprecedented plan to create federal lists of eligible voters in all 50 states.
The newly published “State Citizenship Lists Portal” appeared on Tuesday and currently shows a blue box stating that the lists are “coming soon,” according to a report by Democracy Docket.
A DHS memo released in June said the agency planned to have the portal fully operational by Friday, Sept. 4. The portal stems from a March executive order directing DHS and the Social Security Administration to centralize information held across the federal government and use it to compile state-by-state lists of people deemed eligible to vote, the report said.
The development comes as states remain responsible for maintaining their own voter rolls, which is why the idea of a federal eligibility database has drawn close scrutiny from voting-rights advocates and privacy groups. “Combined, the lists sought by Trump would amount to a nationwide voter eligibility database managed by the federal government,” according to Democracy Docket. “No such thing has ever before existed because the U.S. election system is designed to be managed by states and localities, not the executive branch.”
Voting experts have said federal agencies do not have the authority to create or administer such lists. They have also warned that the database could be used to challenge individuals’ presence on state voter rolls and, ultimately, their right to vote in November’s midterm election.
Advocates say compiling large amounts of Americans’ personal information could also violate federal privacy protections. The Electronic Privacy Information Center filed a lawsuit describing the project as “flagrantly unlawful.”
“Building a database containing the identities, Social Security numbers, addresses, and citizenship information of every U.S. citizen is an extraordinary illegal overreach by the federal government,” said John Davisson, the research center's deputy director.
“This is precisely the nightmare ‘Big Brother’ scenario that the Privacy Act exists to prevent,” he added.
🚨BREAKING: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published a new webpage that will help carry out President Donald Trump’s plans to create a national voter registry and shape who can vote in the upcoming midterm elections. — Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) September 1, 2026
