House Administration hearing spotlights DOJ access to state voter records and opposing views on election authority

A member of the House Administration committee pressed witnesses on whether states should comply with a Department of Justice request for portions of Michigan’s centralized voter list, saying the committee must balance authorization and funding roles while probing whether federal action would "federalize" elections.

The member cited the 2021 For the People Act as an example of provisions some opponents call federal regulation, listing automatic voter registration, same‑day registration and a ban on purging voter rolls as measures included in that bill. The member said some colleagues previously supported that legislation.

Asked about the DOJ request to Michigan, the member referenced a statement from Secretary Jocelyn Benson that "the law does not support this assertion." The witness who responded said protecting voters is the primary goal and cautioned that labeling an action as "protecting the voter rolls" does not by itself protect voters.

Mister Noble, a witness called to comment, defended the Justice Department’s longstanding practice of obtaining voter‑registration records under section 8(I) of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). "The Department of Justice's ability to get those records for, frankly, 30 years has been unquestioned," he said, and he asserted that some states, including Michigan, maintain outdated or inaccurate registration lists.

The committee member described his home state of Oklahoma as having stringent voter‑ID and mail‑in ballot rules, including a past notarization requirement for absentee ballots that was challenged in 2020. He said those rules and other mail‑in practices have raised concerns about potential fraud and urged that this legislation or future bills address those issues.

No formal vote or motion on legislation was recorded in the provided transcript segment. The hearing continued after the member yielded the remainder of his time.