Schumer, Jeffries and Democratic Groups Sue Trump Administration Over Voter-Roll Demands

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and major Democratic campaign organizations filed suit Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleging the Trump administration is unlawfully pressuring states to alter voter rolls and segregate ballots ahead of the November 3 midterms.

The 44-page complaint names President Trump, Attorney General Todd Blanche, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, the Justice Department, and the Department of Homeland Security as defendants. Plaintiffs also include the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Democratic Governors Association, Nevada Democratic Party, and Erick Jose Jimenez, a naturalized California citizen who has voted since 2006.

They claim the administration is using “shoddily compiled lists” of purported noncitizens—lists that states say contain citizens—and threatening election officials with prosecution if they do not remove voters or set aside ballots. The suit cites specific demands involving California’s roughly 20,000 names and similar lists sent to Nevada. Plaintiffs argue the actions violate the Tenth Amendment and federal statutes that reserve election administration to the states.

The complaint quotes the administration’s own statements and social-media posts, including a Truth Social message from Trump threatening California election officials with imprisonment if they counted certain mail ballots, and references to federal prosecutors warning of prosecutions for noncompliance. “None of this is lawful,” the filing states. “The Executive Branch enjoys no authority to superintend state voter list maintenance, to supplant state determinations of who is qualified to vote, or to dictate who gets a ballot or whose ballot gets segregated.”

Schumer wrote on X that Trump “knows he can’t win a fair fight, so he’s resorted to bullying election officials into stripping Americans of their right to vote.” The Justice Department responded that enforcing federal election law and election integrity is a top priority and that its actions remain within the bounds of the law. A spokeswoman said ensuring only eligible citizens vote and that every lawful ballot is counted is a requirement of federal law.

The case was assigned to Chief Judge James Boasberg. It joins other pending litigation over federal access to voter rolls, the use of SAVE and related databases, and prior administration demands that states review citizenship data. The filing comes as the Justice Department has pursued charges against noncitizens for illegal voting and has provided states with data for review. Democratic leaders say the lists have repeatedly proven inaccurate upon inspection; administration officials say the effort enforces the longstanding federal ban on noncitizen voting in federal elections.