“The Justice Department will continue to fulfill its oversight role dutifully, neutrally, and transparently wherever Americans vote in federal elections.”
The Department of Justice has sued five more states over gaining access to their voter rolls, including New Jersey, Utah, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Oklahoma. The five bring the total of states that have been sued by the Trump administration over not producing voter rolls to 29 plus Washington, DC.
Attorney General Pam Bondi launched the lawsuits on Thursday against the states and said, "Accurate, well-maintained voter rolls are a requisite for the election integrity that the American people deserve. This latest series of litigation underscores that the Department of Justice is fulfilling its duty to ensure transparency, voter roll maintenance, and secure elections across the country."
The lawsuit was brought under the powers of the Civil Rights Act of 1960, which the DOJ said allows the Attorney General to "demand the production, inspection, and analysis of statewide voter registration lists that can be cross-checked effectively for improper registrations." The lawsuits against the 29 states have mostly been against Democrat-controlled states which failed to produce voter roll data for the Trump administration.
“The Justice Department will continue to fulfill its oversight role dutifully, neutrally, and transparently wherever Americans vote in federal elections,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Many state election officials, however, are choosing to fight us in court rather than show their work. We will not be deterred, regardless of party affiliation, from carrying out critical election integrity legal duties.”
This round of lawsuit take aim at mostly GOP-led states, including Utah, where the administration has sued Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson in her official capacity as the lieutenant governor as well as the head of elections in the state. Henderson had given voter data to the federal government after it had been requested last July, but a number of records had been redacted.
The lawsuits each said that the defendants had to “produce such other federal election records demanded by the Attorney General to ascertain Defendant’s compliance with HAVA and the NVRA,” with some varying language depending on the situation of the state.
The move comes as the Trump administration has been focused on securing elections and election integrity laws. There has also been a push to pass the SAVE Act in Congress, which would nationalize voter ID requirements require proof of citizenship to vote.
Libby’s Desk
Commentary and must-reads from Libby’s desk, straight to your inbox.
TPM Newsletter
The Post Millennial’s top stories, delivered to your inbox.
