Trump directs DOGE to review voter rolls data

Former President Donald Trump has issued an executive order directing the Department of Homeland Security to work with the DOGE office on reviewing voter registration lists across states. The order specifically asks DOGE administrator Amy Gleason to help examine these publicly available records. It remains unclear what DOGE will do with the data it collects. Experts, like Rick Hasen from UCLA, emphasize that DOGE does not have the authority to remove anyone from voter rolls. They caution that while DOGE may claim to find fraud, the actual updates to voter lists are often neglected. Recently, there have been legal challenges regarding the attempts by DOGE to access sensitive federal data. Many states provide their voter registration lists publicly, sometimes for a fee, though some restrict this access. Trump has made repeated claims about election fraud and has alleged that he actually won the 2020 election. However, audits in various states show very few instances of non-citizens voting, and concerns about illegal voting by non-citizens remain largely unfounded. The move by Trump and the DOGE office has the potential to reignite tensions, similar to those seen during his first term when many states resisted efforts to share voter information.