Student Voter Program Crumbles As Trump Admin Alleges Election Influence Data-Sharing Scheme

A program apparently designed to increase student voter turnout is being disbanded after the Trump administration accused it of illegally sharing private data in an effort to “influence elections.”

The National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), a nonprofit organization that collects data from thousands of universities, is ending its partnership with the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) program at Tufts University, it announced last week. The Department of Education (ED) opened an investigation into NSC and Tufts in early February based on reports that the program illegally shared students’ personal data with organizations that “aim to influence elections.” The Daily Caller News Foundation was first to report news of ED’s investigation. (EXCLUSIVE: Ed Dept launches investigation into organization that allegedly leaked student data to ‘influence elections’)

NSC Chairman and CEO Daniel Hae-Dong Lee announced the end of the partnership in an email that notably provided no reason for the decision. In that message, Lee said the NSC “remains fully committed to FERPA compliance and the responsible management of student data.” The organization will continue to work with Tufts on issues outside of the NSLVE program, he said.

The termination will take effect in March.

People cast their votes during early voting for the U.S. general election at the Museum of Art Gallery at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, October 31, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images)

ED’s Student Privacy Policy Office (SPPO) told DCNF in February that, based on several reports it has received, it is concerned the partnership could result in data sharing with third-party political organizations that “aim to influence elections.” The federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) prohibits institutions from sharing students’ personal data without consent.

Lee insisted in the email that the National Student Clearinghouse has not processed NSLVE data since its 2025 report, which used data from the 2024 election cycle.

The partnership was created following pressure from the Obama administration for universities to play a greater role in student voter turnout. It provides reporting to “more than a thousand campuses” to help colleges and universities “understand their students’ voting and registration rates” and offers “tailored resources and research for institutions to deploy this data to strengthen civic and political learning, close participation equity gaps, and promote engagement on campus and beyond.”

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent, nonpartisan news service, is available free to any legitimate news publisher capable of delivering a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and DCNF affiliation. For questions about our guidelines or our partnership, please contact licenses@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.