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The Department of Justice announced Friday that it has filed lawsuits against Kentucky, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Utah and West Virginia, alleging the states failed to produce voter registration lists requested by federal officials.
The new cases were brought by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division as the Trump administration continues its push for stronger election oversight. All but New Jersey supported President Trump in the 2024 election.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the department is acting within its authority.
“The Justice Department will continue to fulfill its oversight role dutifully, neutrally, and transparently wherever Americans vote in federal elections,” Dhillon said in a statement. “Many state election officials, however, are choosing to fight us in court rather than show their work.”
“Accurate, well-maintained voter rolls are a requisite for the election integrity that the American people deserve,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi added in the statement. “This latest series of litigation underscores that This Department of Justice is fulfilling its duty to ensure transparency, voter roll maintenance, and secure elections across the country.”
The DOJ argues that the Civil Rights Act of 1960 permits the attorney general to demand access to statewide voter registration lists for inspection and analysis to ensure compliance with federal law.
Gentner Drummond, Oklahoma’s Republican attorney general, said his state would cooperate with lawful federal requests.
“The integrity of our elections is foundational to our republic,” Drummond said. “The state of Oklahoma will fully cooperate with any lawful federal requests related to the investigation of voter fraud.”
In contrast, Jennifer Davenport, a Democrat, criticized the DOJ’s demands.
“As several courts have already held, the Department of Justice’s request for voters’ personal information, including their driver’s license numbers and Social Security numbers, is baseless,” Davenport said in a statement posted on X. “We are committed to protecting the privacy of our state’s residents, and we will defend against this lawsuit in court.”
Several federal courts have dismissed or limited similar DOJ efforts to obtain unredacted voter rolls containing sensitive personal data, with the latest move adding to the ongoing controversy over state voter information.