ICE Seeks Contractor to Build Federal Voter Database for Fraud Probes

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is preparing to award a contract worth up to $5 million to create a national database of voter registration and history. The data would support Homeland Security Investigations' fraud detection efforts, though it may include party affiliation if directed. Privacy experts worry this could violate voters' rights.

The contract, managed by Homeland Security Investigations section chief Michael Royer, requires the winning bidder to obtain voter files from all 50 states, though ICE will initially specify which states it wants. The database would cover federal elections including primaries, runoffs, and special elections, with the contract term expiring September 30.

This initiative follows the Department of Justice's separate push to obtain unredacted voter rolls from states, which courts and state officials have resisted. DHS has also threatened to withhold emergency preparedness and counterterrorism funding from states that refuse to align with White House election policies, while investigations into noncitizen voting have consistently found extremely few instances of such activity.