A legal battle has erupted over the integrity of Wisconsin’s voter rolls. The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against Meagan Wolfe, the state’s elections director, and the Wisconsin Elections Commission, demanding access to the WisVote database.
This action, foreshadowed after the closely contested 2024 Presidential Election, centers on long-standing concerns about the database’s maintenance and security. Allegations include non-compliance with federal law and potential vulnerabilities that could compromise election security.
For years, numerous individuals and groups have sought to compel Wolfe to adhere to federal and state regulations regarding WisVote. Despite repeated attempts at collaboration, including direct appeals from the DOJ this year, access to the database for a comprehensive audit was consistently denied.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission ultimately voted against the DOJ’s request, with only one commissioner dissenting. This refusal prompted the federal lawsuit filed on December 18, 2025, marking a significant escalation in the dispute.
The DOJ’s lawsuit isn’t isolated. Twenty-two states are facing scrutiny over their voter roll maintenance, with ten already voluntarily cooperating with the federal government to ensure accurate and secure voter lists before the 2026 midterm elections.
The case will be heard in Wisconsin’s Western Federal Court, with the assignment of the case to either Judge William Conley, appointed by President Obama, or Judge James Peterson, appointed by President Trump, remaining uncertain.
The legal process typically begins with formal complaints and notification to the defendant, followed by responses and a scheduling conference. This will be followed by a lengthy discovery phase, where evidence is gathered through interrogatories, document requests, and depositions.
Motions and potential mediation efforts could follow, with the ultimate goal of reaching a settlement. If no agreement is reached, the case will proceed to trial, governed by strict federal rules of evidence.
At the heart of the dispute lie troubling data points from the 2020 Presidential Election. Reports indicate tens of thousands of same-day registrations lacked required information, and over 825,000 absentee ballots were cast into drop boxes without standard verification procedures.
Further concerns include the presence of potentially ineligible voters in the WisVote database – individuals who have moved, are deceased, or may lack proper citizenship. A significant number of names flagged as having moved out of state were still processed for ballots in 2020.
Investigations revealed a high percentage of ballots processed in long-term care facilities, and a substantial number of voters designated as “indefinitely confined” received ballots without proper identification or verification. This practice raises questions about potential vulnerabilities in the system.
Analysis also suggests a surge in overseas votes and a lack of a required agreement between the DMV and the Elections Commission to vet the database in real-time. Reports indicate that hundreds of thousands of non-US citizens may have obtained Wisconsin driver’s licenses during a critical period.
Wisconsin voters have already affirmed the importance of citizenship requirements for voting through a constitutional amendment. Yet, the WisVote database reportedly contains a significant number of inactive and potentially ineligible names, raising serious concerns about its accuracy and integrity.
The database has grown substantially in recent years, with the number of names increasing from 7.1 million to over 8.2 million in just three years. This expansion, coupled with the reported number of ineligible names, underscores the urgency of a thorough audit and cleanup.
The outcome of this lawsuit could have far-reaching implications for election integrity in Wisconsin and beyond, as the DOJ seeks to ensure that only eligible citizens are able to participate in the democratic process.
