Department of Justice orders 30 states to preserve 2024 election records

The Department of Justice has issued preservation orders to election officials in at least 30 states and Washington, D.C., directing them to retain all records related to the 2024 election. These notices were sent as the federal 22-month retention requirement for election-related papers approaches expiration.

The DOJ stated in letters that the chief election officials in these jurisdictions are “currently under investigation” and subject to “ongoing litigation.” While the department has not specified whether these investigations are civil or criminal, the orders are linked to a nationwide legal effort to gain access to complete, unredacted statewide voter-registration databases.

The Justice Department argues that these databases are necessary to evaluate compliance with federal laws and to identify potentially improper registrations. This push follows 31 federal lawsuits filed by the DOJ against various states. Some states have resisted these requests, citing privacy concerns regarding the disclosure of personal information such as driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers.