Photo: Alamy
President Donald Trump on Wednesday celebrated a new federal push to require states to update their voter registration lists, calling it a major step toward restoring trust in U.S. elections.
“Great! Our Elections are Crooked and Rigged. The voters know it. Must bring integrity back to Voting. START WITH VOTER ID!” the president wrote on Truth Social, sharing a report from Just the News outlining the Justice Department initiative.
According to the report, the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division is leading the effort to enforce federal laws requiring states to maintain accurate voter rolls. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon told the outlet the administration is pursuing an expansive campaign targeting states that have neglected these obligations.
Dhillon argued that persistent issues in several Democrat-led states go beyond administrative failures. “The sloppiness of the elections in blue states is no accident. It is on purpose. It is a feature, not a bug,” she said, claiming that outdated registration lists can make room for ballot practices that invite abuse.
This week, the DOJ filed lawsuits against six states, including Maryland, Delaware, Rhode Island, New Mexico, Washington, and Vermont. The suit seeks access to their voter rolls for federal inspection. Dhillon said the agency already has litigation underway in 14 states and is nearing voluntary agreements with about a dozen more.
In North Carolina, she said the department reached a consent decree requiring officials to review and correct more than 100,000 voter registrations that were allegedly added without complying with state law. Dhillon said the administration is on track to secure cleanup actions in at least 26 states.
She noted that voter-roll problems can include duplicate registrations, people who have moved, non-citizens listed as eligible and deceased individuals remaining on the rolls. Dhillon pointed to California as an example of lax management.
Democrat officials have pushed back, as 10 Democrat secretaries of state sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem requesting details on how voter data would be used and protected, raising concerns about potential misuse.
In a statement responding to the pushback, Dhillon said, “Clean voter rolls and basic election safeguards are requisites for free, fair, and transparent elections,” adding that enforcing these requirements is both statutory and a priority for the administration.