Boise, Idaho – In a growing standoff between state and federal authorities, Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane has refused a request from the U.S. Department of Justice to share sensitive personal information from the state’s voter rolls. The move, announced in a February 26 letter, underscores a deepening conflict over election data access and privacy concerns, particularly as the Justice Department pursues legal action against multiple states over similar requests. The dispute centers on the Justice Department’s demand for full voter registration data, including Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and dates of birth, for roughly 1 million Idaho voters.
McGrane’s decision comes after the Justice Department hinted at potential legal action to compel compliance, according to public records obtained by the Idaho Capital Sun. However, the Secretary of State cited recent data security breaches within federal systems as a key factor in his refusal. Specifically, McGrane pointed to a January disclosure by the Justice Department revealing that employees of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) shared Social Security data on an unsecured third-party server, as reported by the Modern York Times.
“That development reinforces the importance of careful stewardship of sensitive voter information,” McGrane wrote in his letter to Eric Neff, Acting Chief of the Voting Section within the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “While I appreciate the Department’s representation that Idaho’s data will be safeguarded, take that now-apparent risk in the absence of clear legal duty to do so. My concern is for the privacy rights of Idahoans who have registered to vote, as secured under Idaho law.” A spokesperson for the U.S. Justice Department declined to comment on McGrane’s letter.
Justice Department’s Broad Request and Legal Challenges
The Justice Department initiated requests for full voter registration lists from numerous states in September 2025, citing the need to ensure election integrity. However, the scope of the request – demanding personally identifiable information – raised alarms among state officials and privacy advocates. The department has since sued 29 states that refused to comply, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
Idaho is not alone in resisting the federal government’s demands. Federal judges have already dismissed the Justice Department’s lawsuits against Oregon, California, and Michigan, ruling that federal law does not authorize the department to compel states to share complete, unredacted voter lists. These rulings, McGrane noted in his letter, support his position that the Justice Department lacks a legal basis for its request under the National Voter Registration Act, the Facilitate America Vote Act, or the Civil Rights Act.
Idaho’s Position on Voter Data Privacy
McGrane, a Republican currently seeking re-election, emphasized that Idaho law strictly governs the disclosure of voter information. He stated that his office has already provided the Justice Department with a copy of Idaho’s publicly available voter registration list, which excludes sensitive personal data. “Idaho law clearly protects the release of private voter information,” said Joe Parris, spokesperson for the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office. “We have full confidence in the integrity and accuracy of Idaho voter rolls through consistent voter information confirmation and will continue to ensure only American citizens are voting in the 2026 election.”
The Secretary of State’s office maintains that it has no legal obligation to share the full voter roll with the federal government. McGrane’s letter explicitly states that he will not provide additional personally identifiable information, including dates of birth, Social Security numbers, or driver’s license numbers.
Concerns Over Data Usage and Immigration Enforcement
Beyond privacy concerns, some observers fear the potential misuse of voter data by the federal government. The Justice Department’s pursuit of this information coincides with increased immigration enforcement efforts by the Trump administration, raising questions about how the data might be used. Former President Trump has repeatedly and falsely claimed widespread voter fraud by non-citizens, a claim that has been debunked by election officials and researchers, including in Idaho, where the Secretary of State’s office removed 36 likely non-citizens from voter rolls in 2024.
The situation highlights a broader tension between federal efforts to oversee elections and states’ rights to protect voter privacy and control access to sensitive data. The outcome of this dispute could set a precedent for future interactions between the federal government and states regarding election administration and data security.
The next step in this ongoing legal and political battle remains uncertain. The Justice Department has not indicated whether it will pursue legal action against Idaho, despite earlier hints of such a possibility. However, the recent court rulings in Oregon, California, and Michigan suggest that the department may face significant legal hurdles in its attempt to compel states to share their full voter registration lists.
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