Story perspectives

Judge Blocks DHS Voter-Roll Scrubbing, Threatens Prosecutions

7/18/2026

Summary

Story summary

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned state election officials they could face criminal prosecution for refusing U.S. President Donald Trump’s mandatory voter-roll “scrubbing” program.
The Justice Department has lost 15 court battles seeking voter-roll data, with judges—many appointed by Republican presidents—blocking access.
U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan barred DHS from using the SAVE database, ruling the program unlawfully pools personal data and threatens voting rights.

History

Historical Context

The 1993 National Voter Registration Act, signed by President Bill Clinton, funded $200 million for state voter-database projects and created the DOJ-run SAVE system used by DHS. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin now invokes that framework to demand state roll files, while Judge Sparkle Sooknanan’s 2024 injunction threatens the law’s data-sharing provisions.

1 of 2

Story summary

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned state election officials they could face criminal prosecution for refusing U.S. President Donald Trump’s mandatory voter-roll “scrubbing” program.
The Justice Department has lost 15 court battles seeking voter-roll data, with judges—many appointed by Republican presidents—blocking access.
U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan barred DHS from using the SAVE database, ruling the program unlawfully pools personal data and threatens voting rights.

1 / 2