DHS RFI Voter Registration History: Homeland Security Seeks Data for Fraud

• The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a Request for Information (RFI) to acquire publicly available voter registration and history files.
• The data collection, intended for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and ICE, aims to support "fraud detection" activities.
• DHS seeks voter records from all 50 states, D.C., and U.S. territories, including history for all federal elections.
• Contractors must follow jurisdictional laws, remain politically neutral, and avoid collecting party affiliation data.
• This RFI comes amid broader discussions and claims by former President Donald Trump and his allies regarding election fraud and foreign interference.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has initiated a process to acquire extensive voter registration and history records from across the United States.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has initiated a process to acquire extensive voter registration and history records from across the United States. Through a Request for Information (RFI) issued to potential contractors, the agency outlined its intent to collect publicly available voter information from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. This significant undertaking, referred to as a DHS RFI voter registration history acquisition, is intended to bolster the "fraud detection" activities of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the primary investigative arm of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

This initial step in the government contracting process signals a federal agency's interest in centralizing a vast repository of US election data. While no contract has yet been awarded, the RFI indicates that a third-party company would be responsible for gathering this data at DHS's direction. The agency has not disclosed the potential financial investment for this effort, which aims to enhance its capabilities in identifying fraudulent activities.

The scope of the proposed Homeland Security voter data collection is broad, encompassing both voter registration files and, where publicly accessible, voter history files. Specifically, DHS is seeking records related to all federal elections, including general, primary, runoff, and special elections. The agency anticipates annual data collections, beginning with a limited number of jurisdictions before potentially expanding to additional states and territories throughout the contract period.

DHS has stipulated several critical requirements for any prospective contractor involved in this 50-state voter file acquisition. Contractors must adhere strictly to "applicable jurisdictional laws and access procedures" when collecting data. Furthermore, the agency emphasized the necessity for political neutrality throughout the data collection process, explicitly stating that it is not seeking party affiliation information. Contractors are also prohibited from engaging in "political affiliation-based targeting, prioritization or ranking of jurisdictions or individuals," ensuring the acquired voter records are used solely to support the agency's defined fraud detection mission. This focus on publicly available voter information RFI underscores the agency's commitment to specific, non-partisan objectives.

This DHS RFI for voter registration history emerges amidst a period of heightened national discussion surrounding the security and integrity of the U.S. voting system. The timing of the RFI, just months before upcoming midterm elections, coincides with claims made by former President Donald Trump and his allies regarding widespread fraud and foreign interference in American elections. Former President Donald Trump, for instance, previously asserted "irrefutable" evidence of foreign meddling in voter data from more than a dozen states.

In a July speech from the White House, former President Trump characterized the situation as an "election security nightmare," presenting documents he claimed demonstrated Chinese interference in the 2020 presidential election and efforts by Beijing to obtain voter data from as many as 18 states. He stated a commitment to fixing the voting system, which he described as being "in such bad shape in so many states." However, much of the information released by the White House had been previously known to intelligence agencies and the public. A 2021 report from the National Intelligence Council, for example, concluded that China did not interfere with election infrastructure, vote tabulation, or the transmission of results in the 2020 contest, an election Trump lost and subsequently claimed was "rigged."

Lawyers specializing in data privacy, election law, or government contracts should closely monitor the progression of this DHS Request for Information. The potential for a federal agency to centralize comprehensive voter data from all states could introduce new compliance considerations regarding data access, usage, and privacy rights, particularly for entities that also handle or rely on public voter records.

Source: Original reporting via CN