National Voter Registration Act

The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA), commonly known as the Motor Voter Act, requires states to offer voter registration when residents apply for or renew a driving licence, apply for social services, or complete other specified government transactions. The law was enacted to reduce barriers to registration and expand the electorate; it also requires states to maintain accurate voter rolls and sets rules on how often rolls may be purged. The NVRA is a foundational pillar of federal election-administration law, alongside the Help America Vote Act of 2002.

In 2026, the NVRA became central to the Trump administration's legal effort to compel states to share voter registration data. The Department of Justice filed suits in 47 states, initially asserting NVRA claims alongside Civil Rights Act of 1960 and Help America Vote Act theories. Following dismissals in Maine and Wisconsin in May 2026, the DOJ dropped its NVRA claims across all remaining active cases, retreating to the narrower Civil Rights Act of 1960 theory alone. Chief US District Judge Lance E. Walker's dismissal in Maine explicitly held that states are the primary regulators of federal elections, undermining the federal-authority premise behind the NVRA theory.

That narrower theory fared no better. On 24 June 2026 a Sixth Circuit panel ruled 2-1 in United States v. Benson that the Civil Rights Act of 1960, the DOJ's sole remaining theory once NVRA and HAVA claims were dropped, still could not authorise the demand for Michigan's unredacted voter rolls, the first appellate ruling in the year-long fight. The NVRA remains in force as a voter-registration mandate; its use as a voter-roll audit tool did not survive 2026 litigation at any level, appellate or district.