The U.S. Department of Justice, under the direction of the Trump administration, is suing Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to force the release of sensitive voter registration data — including Michiganders’ Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers. This is an unacceptable invasion of privacy and a dangerous attempt to interfere with how states run their own elections.

Secretary Benson is doing the right thing by refusing to comply. She has made it clear: Michigan law and federal law both include strong protections that guard against identity theft and the misuse of personal data. The DOJ has provided no credible reason why they need this information — and no guarantee they’ll keep it secure.

What’s more troubling is the timing. Just ahead of critical midterm elections, a Justice Department aligned with Trump is demanding access to data it has no automatic right to receive. Meanwhile, state election officials from both parties are asking the same questions: Why now? Why this data? And what will it be used for?

We’ve seen this playbook before — vague claims of fraud, secretive federal databases, and lawsuits designed to cast doubt on elections that haven’t even happened yet. Michigan voters shouldn’t have to worry that their private data could be weaponized for political purposes.

We, the undersigned, stand with Secretary Benson and urge her to continue resisting this federal overreach. We call on Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Legislature to publicly back Benson’s decision and ensure no private voter data is turned over without clear legal justification and full transparency.

The Justice Department must immediately drop this lawsuit and stop targeting states that are protecting their voters’ privacy and democratic rights.

This is about more than one lawsuit. It’s about the future of our elections. Michigan has a right — and a duty — to safeguard its voters. We won’t let this power grab go unchallenged.