Since the beginning of his second term, President Donald Trump and his administration have renewed their efforts to undermine Americans’ freedom to vote.
The current administration has sought to seize voter data from the states, unlawfully change the way our elections are run, and attack voting rights.
Campaign Legal Center (CLC) is pushing back on these efforts on behalf of the American people. Through litigation, advocacy, as well as work with local and national partners and coalitions, CLC is at the forefront of stopping anti-voter actions, because any attempt to limit the freedom to vote is an attempt to silence American voters.
Taking Legal Action to Protect Sensitive Voter Information
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has sued many states to obtain their voters’ personal, private information.
This overreach by the federal government is an attempt to retrieve voter data and exert control over our elections even though the Constitution gives the power to regulate and administer elections to the states or Congress.
The threat to voters is compounded by reports indicating that this information — which includes highly sensitive data beyond the scope of typical public voter information — could be turned over to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to be used for immigration enforcement or to facilitate improperly removing eligible voters from the rolls.
This is especially concerning in light of efforts by DHS to vastly expand an existing federal program to build a national citizenship database using outdated and unreliable data sources.
Our elections have numerous safeguards in place to make sure only U.S. citizens participate — and election officials take this responsibility seriously. Federal law also includes privacy protections to ensure Americans’ personal data is not improperly shared or misused.
The DOJ’s overreach will not make our elections any safer or more secure. Instead, the DOJ’s actions violate voters’ privacy and will discourage voters from participating in the democratic process. Campaign Legal Center is fighting on behalf of the American people in courtrooms across the country to stop this unlawful voter data grab. Read more about our involvement in these cases.
Challenging the Consolidation and Distribution of Federal Citizenship Data for Voter Purges
Historically, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has maintained a system that tracks immigration status and citizenship status called “SAVE.”
The original purpose of the SAVE system was to provide government agencies with a resource to check whether individuals were eligible for government benefits based on their immigration or citizenship status.
Now, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) — which oversees USCIS — has entered into an agreement to incorporate Social Security Administration (SSA) data into the SAVE system, including information on some U.S.-born citizens.
But this newly incorporated SSA data is notoriously unreliable. SSA is not entrusted with making citizenship determinations or formally tracking citizenship status. Incorporating unreliable citizenship data could result in U.S. citizens being erroneously purged from voter registration lists or having their voter registration application denied.
On September 30, 2025, a group of plaintiffs led by the League of Women Voters filed suit in federal court challenging the legality of DHS’s data consolidation efforts. The suit claims that DHS’s centralization of data on Americans violates the Privacy Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, and the separation of powers required by the Constitution.
Campaign Legal Center submitted an amicus brief highlighting the separation-of-powers concerns implicated by DHS’s intervention in verifying voter eligibility.
Only Congress and the states have the power to set rules about our elections, not the president. This attempt to consolidate private and sensitive data by DHS is part of a larger effort to shift election administration functions into the executive branch.
Additionally, this consolidation of information would be used to pressure states to conduct unlawful voter purges. Such voter purges threaten Americans’ freedom to vote and tend to disproportionately target people with past felony convictions, voters of color, low-income voters and young voters.
On June 22, 2026, a District Court ruled that the establishment of this new SAVE system is unlawful, agreeing with CLC's amicus brief that it violates the Privacy Act, the Social Security Act and the Administrative Procedure Act. This victory is a step forward in protecting voters against illegal data consolidation and threats to their freedom to vote.
Suing to Prevent Unlawful Executive Orders on Elections from Taking Effect
When the president signed an executive order on March 25, 2025, unlawfully attempting to direct several federal agencies to change the rules for federal elections and implement unnecessary barriers to voter registration, we sued.
Among its unlawful provisions, the executive order aimed to direct the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to implement new and burdensome documentary proof of citizenship requirements when using the federal voter registration form.
This means anyone using that form to register to vote would have to present extra evidence of their U.S. citizenship, like a passport or birth certificate, which millions of voters do not have reasonable access to. The order attempted to place similar hurdles on military and overseas voters, by mandating burdensome changes to the voter registration forms that Congress specifically provides to make the franchise accessible.
The executive order also attempted to override laws in 16 states that allow election officials to count mail ballots cast and postmarked by Election Day but received before states deadlines that are after Election Day.
Only Congress — not the president — has the power to pass laws that set national voting standards and override state laws governing federal elections. The Constitution does not give the president any role in setting election rules.
On behalf of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Secure Families Initiative, and the Arizona Students’ Association, we won a court order that temporarily halted a key provision of this illegal and unconstitutional plan, and later won a court order to halt this provision permanently. We continue to defend this victory on appeal.
On March 31, 2026, President Trump issued his second executive order on elections. Like his March 2025 order, this is another illegal and unconstitutional attempt by the federal government to take control of our elections.
This second elections-focused executive order purports to impose new requirements for mail-in voting; create a national database of “verified” eligible voters based on faulty information; and direct the United States Postal Service (USPS) to only send mail-in ballots to certain individuals.
But the president has no constitutional authority to set election rules.
That’s why Campaign Legal Center sued again, alongside its co-counsel, Democracy Defenders Fund. On behalf of LULAC, Secure Families Initiative (SFI) and Arizona Students’ Association (ASA), we are working to prevent this illegal executive order from going into effect.
Opposing Burdensome and Unnecessary Voter Registration Documentation
When the America First Legal Foundation (AFLF) asked the EAC to require voter registration applicants to provide burdensome documentation, CLC and Democracy Defenders Fund submitted a public comment opposing this proposed rule change.
The documentation requirements in AFLF’s request exactly mirrors those in President Trump’s unlawful March 2025 executive order and would imposes substantial and unnecessary burdens on U.S. citizens registering to vote.
Even though CLC and our partners already successfully halted this action when we sued over the president’s executive order, the Trump administration’s allies are trying yet another avenue to push this harmful policy through.
In our formal comment to the EAC, we outlined how these documentation requirements are inconsistent with federal law and would make it harder for millions of American citizens to access the ballot box.
Upholding a Foundational Principle of American Democracy
On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship. The order would apply to children born to people who are in the country without authorization or who hold work, student or tourist visas.
But the 14th Amendment is clear: Children born in the United States are granted birthright citizenship — no matter who their parents are.
Citizenship is a democracy issue. That’s why Campaign Legal Center has urged courts to reject Trump’s unconstitutional order in briefs submitted to the 1st U.S. Circuit of Appeals, the 4th U.S. Circuit of Appeals and the 9th U.S. Circuit of Appeals on behalf of Secure Families Initiative.
CLC has again done so in the Supreme Court and will continue fighting to protect equal citizenship rights for all.
Protecting the Rights of Civic Engagement Groups Helping America’s Newest Citizens Register to Vote
The Trump administration is making it harder for newly naturalized citizens to exercise their freedom to vote.
A rule enacted by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in August 2025 prohibits nonpartisan civic engagement groups from providing civic education and voter registration assistance at administrative naturalization ceremonies — a long-standing tradition that educates and encourages new Americans to participate in the political process.
Now, only government officials are allowed to provide voter registration education and assistance at administrative naturalization ceremonies, a shocking rollback of the time-honored role that civic engagement groups have played in this process for decades. This unnecessary restriction is both illegal and unconstitutional.
Campaign Legal Center, on behalf of the national League of Women Voters and a number of state and local Leagues, has sued to end this anti-voter policy.
What’s Next?
Campaign Legal Center and our partners won’t stop fighting to protect Americans from the Trump administration’s attempts to limit the freedom to vote. Voting should be accessible. Our laws and administration should promote participation in our democracy and instill trust in our elections.
With your support, Campaign Legal Center will continue our work to ensure that every voice can be heard and that every vote is counted.
