NEW: FBI Seeks Voter Registration IP Addresses As Part Of Fraud Probe

The FBI recently obtained the internet protocol (IP) address associated with an online voter registration in South Carolina as part of an inquiry into alleged voter fraud.

This was confirmed in documents obtained through a public records request by the organization Democracy Forward, which were later shared with Axios.

According to the report, an FBI agent in South Carolina contacted state and local election officials in March 2026 to request the IP address linked to one individual’s online registration. Email exchanges between the agent and the general counsel of the South Carolina State Election Commission, which are partially redacted, document the request.

A subsequent email exchange with the subject line “Voter Investigation” indicates that the FBI received the digital information in June 2026. State and local officials complied with the request. The FBI did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the matter, and the South Carolina State Election Commission general counsel also did not respond.

York County election official Alan Helms, whose office was involved in the request, described the nature of the contact. “It is not common” to receive this type of request, Helms told Axios. “In my tenure as an election official, going on 20 years, that is the first interaction with law enforcement,” he added.

Helms further stated that his office provided the information because South Carolina law permits such compliance.

POLL: Will You Support Trump And His Candidates In The Midterms?

VOTER REGISTRATION PROBE: The FBI has begun seeking internet protocol addresses connected to online voter registrations, signaling a new investigative tactic in the Trump administration's broader effort to examine allegations of voter fraud. pic.twitter.com/vp93xeMNNH

— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) July 31, 2026

An IP address can indicate a user’s approximate geographic location and internet service provider but does not identify a specific individual by name. Such data could show whether the registration originated from outside the state or outside the United States. As of this report, 43 states currently permit some form of online voter registration, meaning the approach could apply more broadly if used in other jurisdictions.

The request forms one element of wider federal activity examining voter rolls and registration practices. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has sought voter data in Texas and North Carolina, while the Justice Department has filed lawsuits against 30 states and the District of Columbia seeking access to voter registration information from jurisdictions that have not shared it voluntarily.

In a separate development, New Jersey identified approximately 6,600 noncitizens who had registered to vote due to a software error. State officials reported removing about 4,500 individuals from the rolls after further review, noting that some of those initially flagged may ultimately prove eligible.

State officials further conceded that a sizable number of these noncitizens were able to vote in state and federal elections.

Ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division sent letters to election officials in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The letters reference federal statutes prohibiting noncitizens from voting in federal elections and state that election officers who knowingly retain noncitizens on voter rolls or facilitate their receipt and casting of ballots could face criminal liability.

Dhillon’s office also announced the deployment of poll watchers to three Arizona counties for that state’s primary. Separately, Department of Homeland Security General Counsel James Percival issued a memorandum directing immigration officials to consider any voting-related offenses as potential evidence in deportation proceedings involving noncitizens.

RELATED: 11 Illegal Aliens Arrested In Connection With $1.4 Million Fraud Scheme