The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is asking Nevada election officials for personally identifiable information — including driver’s license and partial Social Security numbers —  for all registered voters, an escalation of the Trump administration’s efforts to wade into state-run elections.

The DOJ sent a letter to the Nevada Secretary of State’s Office last week requesting that information for all 2.1 million registered voters within seven days to assess the state’s compliance with federal election laws.

In a written response obtained by The Nevada Independent, the secretary of state’s office said on Thursday that the “request is unprecedented in its scope, its purported basis, and its purported urgency.” It added that the office will need more time to assess the legality of the request.

“These requests from the DOJ may seem like a simple attempt at oversight but in reality, the federal government is using its massive power to try to intimidate us into turning over protected voter data,” Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, a Democrat, said in a statement Thursday.

It’s the latest federal effort to seek more information about Nevada’s elections as President Donald Trump ramps up his efforts to overhaul the nation’s elections system. Trump said earlier this week that he would do away with mail voting and voting machines — a power he does not solely have as president — and he has signed an executive order requiring proof of citizenship to vote (that has been struck down in court). Trump and other GOP officials have long said, without evidence, that American elections are rife with fraud.

The latest demand sent Aug. 14 builds off of the DOJ's request in June for Nevada’s voter registration list, which is already public record. The state responded last month with a link to the registration list.

The secretary of state’s office said in its latest response that the “most recent letter represents a significant departure from your prior request in both scope and basis.” The office is still reviewing the legality of the request.

The DOJ has made similar requests of election officials in Pennsylvania and Illinois. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

The Trump administration’s latest request said that the state’s response must include “all fields” related to a voter, including personally identifiable information. 

The DOJ said this request is to assess Nevada’s compliance with provisions in the National Voter Registration Act and Help America Vote Act about the maintenance of statewide voter registration lists — citing case law that says the agency has the right to inspect this data. The agency also said that the request does not raise privacy concerns, citing federal civil rights law that prohibit the release of this information unless compelled to by a court or Congress.

However, the secretary of state’s office said in response that providing such information “would expose highly sensitive information that is confidential.” It also objected to arguments that the state might be in violation of federal voting laws, saying there was “no basis” that the state was not meeting state or federal laws.

“That your request is both highly unusual and lacks any articulated basis beyond a desire for the information is all the more reason that my office must carefully review it and ensure that we take all lawful measures to protect the safety and privacy of Nevada citizens’ sensitive information,” the response stated.

It’s the third letter this summer that state election officials have received from the DOJ. The agency previously asked for the state to sign onto an information sharing agreement related to Trump’s executive order that seeks to ensure that only eligible citizens are voting in American elections. The secretary of state’s office has reached out to the DOJ to schedule a conversation about this request. 

It’s unclear whether the information sought in the most recent letter is related to the agency’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for clarification.