WASHINGTON, D.C. - With midterm elections now 89 days away, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee with oversight over federal elections, today led 27 of his Senate colleagues in demanding the Trump Administration adhere to the National Voter Registration Act's (NVRA) "quiet period" that prohibits large-scale voter purges within 90 days of an election, pushing back against the Trump Administration's ongoing voter suppression efforts.

In a letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, the Senators reminded the Trump Administration to adhere to the law and refrain from supporting, assisting, or coercing states into conducting mass voter purges prior to the November midterm elections. The Trump Administration has demanded voter information from all 50 states, losing 20 lawsuits and counting in the process, and a separate court has barred it from misusing federal databases in illegal attempts to remove voters from state voter rolls. In July, President Trump and Secretary Mullin escalated these attacks as part of their ongoing efforts to force states to purge voters ahead of the November general election in a presidential speech and subsequent DHS press conference. The letter copies the chief election officers for all 50 states.

"We are writing to remind you that any efforts directing states to conduct mass voter purges, including by using the deeply flawed Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program to purge voter rolls, would violate the 90 day 'quiet period' mandated by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA)," wrote the Senators. "Under the NVRA, election officials are supposed to complete any program for 'systematically' removing ineligible voters 90 days before Election Day. This statutory protection was included to protect eligible voters who may be (and in many cases have been) removed as part of state voter list maintenance activities."

The Senators warned that federal courts have ruled against attempted voter purges that fail to comply with the NVRA's "quiet period" by attempting mass voter purges.

"In various lawsuits, federal courts have ruled against states that attempted systemwide voter list removals during the 'quiet period,' including those made under the pretext of removing noncitizen voters," continued the Senators. "Outside the 90-day quiet period, voter list maintenance is an important function, but noncitizen voting remains extremely rare. Federal law addresses these incidents through criminal penalties, including financial penalties and imprisonment."

The Senators reiterated that use of the DHS' modified SAVE program, already blocked by federal courts for bulk voter list analysis purposes, would be considered illegal activity in the next 90 days, and condemned Mullin's continued push to advance the program. They also urged the DOJ abandon any efforts to obtain state voter rolls, highlighting the agency has lost every federal court case so far.

"We must re-emphasize that current use of the SAVE program for list maintenance is illegal, and efforts to coerce states to conduct mass voter purges during the 'quiet period' are also illegal under the NVRA, despite DOJ arguments to the contrary in recent court filings," wrote the Senators. "The DOJ should also drop its litigation to obtain state voter rolls and its continued threats to prosecute election officials. As you know, DOJ has lost every federal case seeking to obtain states' unredacted voter lists so far. We remain deeply opposed to the waste of taxpayer funds and attacks on state election officials involved with DOJ's continued attempts to compel states to hand over unredacted voter rolls."

The Senators requested the agencies provide confirmation that they will comply with the NVRA by August 7 to prevent any voter suppression prior to Election Day.

In addition to Padilla, the letter was signed by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

As Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee and California's former Secretary of State and chief election officer, Padilla has championed election security and voting rights. Padilla joined Schumer in launching the first-ever Senate Election Observer Program to protect the 2026 midterms and maintain election integrity nationwide. The Task Force will continue meeting over the coming months to ensure that every American has fair access to the ballot box this November. Padilla also convened a Rules Committee Democrats and Senate Democrats' Election Protection Task Force spotlight forum focused on state and local responses to combat efforts by the Trump Administration to undermine election administration in the upcoming midterm elections. Additionally, Padilla and his Senate colleagues demanded answers from Trump Administration officials about their lack of election security preparation, insufficient coordination with Congress and election officials, and unsupported public claims about voting system vulnerabilities.

Full letter is available here and below:

Dear Acting Attorney General Blanche and Secretary Mullin:

The 2026 general election will be held on Tuesday, November 3, less than 90 days away. We are writing to remind you that any efforts directing states to conduct mass voter purges, including by using the deeply flawed Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program to purge voter rolls, would violate the 90-day "quiet period" mandated by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA).

This long-standing prohibition includes providing states with any incomplete and unverifiable voter roll analysis conducted by the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) SAVE program, the use of which has also been enjoined by a D.C. federal district court. Relatedly, in light of this prohibition, the Department of Justice (DOJ) should drop its ongoing litigation to compel states to provide access to their voter registration lists and acquiesce to unlawful federal list maintenance. While we have previously expressed our concern about these tactics, we remind you of the settled law protecting voters in the lead up to an election and urge you to cease these efforts immediately.

Under the NVRA, election officials are required to complete any systematic removal of ineligible voters 90 days before Election Day. This statutory protection was included to protect eligible voters who may be - and in many cases have been -erroneously removed as part of state voter list maintenance activities. In various lawsuits, federal courts have ruled against states that attempted systemwide voter list removals during the "quiet period," including those made under the pretext of removing noncitizen voters. Outside the 90-day quiet period, voter list maintenance is an important function, but noncitizen voting remains extremely rare. Federal law addresses these incidents through criminal penalties, including financial penalties and imprisonment.

Over the last year, the demonstrated inaccuracies of DHS's modified SAVE program have been proven to result in the removal of eligible voters from the voter rolls prior to the "quiet period." On June 22, 2026, following several months of litigation in League of Women Voters v. Department of Homeland Security, a D.C. federal district court set aside and vacated the 2025 modified SAVE program, finding it was "contrary to law, arbitrary and capricious, in excess of statutory authority, and without observance of procedure required by law." The court ordered DHS to undo the newly established bulk upload feature and dismantle its connection to sensitive Social Security Administration data. Given this ruling, Secretary Mullin's continued promotion of the SAVE program for voter list maintenance purposes during a July 17, 2026, press conference was inappropriate, as were his unsupported claims that multiple states have significant noncitizen voter registrations. Even more alarmingly, DHS is attempting to condition Homeland Security Grant Program funds that protect Americans from disasters and terrorist attacks on use of the SAVE program. Therefore, we must re-emphasize that current use of the SAVE program for list maintenance is illegal, and efforts to coerce states to conduct mass voter purges during the "quiet period" are also illegal under the NVRA, despite DOJ arguments to the contrary in recent court filings.

The DOJ should also drop its litigation to obtain state voter rolls and its continued threats to prosecute election officials. As you know, DOJ has lost every federal case seeking to obtain states' unredacted voter lists so far. We remain deeply opposed to the waste of taxpayer funds and attacks on state election officials involved with DOJ's continued attempts to compel states to hand over unredacted voter rolls. The Trump Administration has done nothing to address concerns that this is all in service of an effort to create a nationwide voter file to be shared across the Executive Branch - and possibly with other unauthorized, partisan actors. At an absolute minimum, DOJ must abstain from any unlawful attempts to pressure states into conducting large-scale voter purges during the 90-day "quiet period."

Please confirm your agencies will comply with the NVRA, and any relevant court orders, no later than August 7, 2026. Any continued actions that may directly or indirectly coerce or assist states in conducting sweeping voter purges that violate federal law and infringe on Americans' right to vote are unacceptable.

Sincerely,

###