MACON, Ga. — A legal fight over who controls America’s voter rolls could come to a head in Macon’s federal court.

On Dec. 19, the U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Georgia’s secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger. They say they want to review the state’s list of voters, to ensure that it doesn’t include ineligible voters.

Raffensperger’s office says they’ve released all the information they can legally, but not the complete files that include personal data.

Now several outside groups are joining the case to support Raffensperger.

One of them is the Atlanta-based Black Voters Matter Fund group.

Their court filing says the Trump administration lawsuit is part of “an unprecedented campaign to compile sensitive personal information on voters in a centralized federal database.”

 The Trump team’s lawsuit is asking for Georgia’s unredacted voter files, which include each voter’s date of birth, driver’s license number and the last four digits of their social security number.

Raffensperger’s office says that Georgia state law prevents them from releasing that information. They have shared the state’s public voter list, which excludes that private information.

The Black Voters group argues that sharing private information with the federal government could discourage voting and registration. They say Georgians may be concerned that their personal data will be turned over to federal law enforcement.

“This chilling effect will be particularly strongly felt in the Black community in Georgia, due to the long history of race-based discrimination in voting,” the group writes.

An Atlanta-based union, Local 3204 of the Communication Workers of America, is also asking the judge’s permission to oppose the lawsuit.

They argue that releasing the private data will put their members at risk of identity fraud.

“Many members will have no faith that DOJ will keep their information from being publicly disclosed – whether on purpose, to serve a political narrative or by accident, through negligence,” the group writes.

The groups also argue that they can protect the rights of Georgia voters better than Raffensperger, who is running for governor in 2026. They write that to stay popular, the secretary of state will face “enormous pressure to cave to DOJ’s demands.”

According to the Black Voters’ group memo, the Trump administration has asked 40 states for their complete voter records, including personal data. They say most of their states have rejected the request, and the Department of Justice has now sued 22 states, including Georgia.

The lawsuit is asking a federal judge to order Georgia to release the voters’ personal data.

It’s unclear why the Department of Justice filed the lawsuit in Macon’s U.S. District Court and not in Atlanta, the seat of state government.

No trial date has been set.