DOJ sues 5 extra states for election knowledge entry in push to entry voter rolls

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The Division of Justice on Thursday sued 5 further states, requesting that their election knowledge be shared with the Trump administration amid its push for entry to voter rolls from states throughout the nation.

4 states President Donald Trump carried within the final three presidential elections — Utah, Oklahoma, Kentucky and West Virginia — have been slapped with the most recent authorized motion, together with New Jersey.

The DOJ has now sued more than two dozen states in efforts to entry election data, with many of the states being managed by Democrats.

Assistant Legal professional Common for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon urged that state election officers have been "selecting to battle us in court docket relatively than present their work" with voter roll entry.

The Division of Justice on Thursday sued 5 further states, requesting that their election knowledge be shared with the Trump administration. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Photographs)

"We won't be deterred, no matter social gathering affiliation, from finishing up essential election integrity authorized duties," she stated in an announcement on Thursday.

"The Justice Department will proceed to meet its oversight function dutifully, neutrally, and transparently wherever Individuals vote in federal elections," Dhillon stated.

The Trump administration has intensified its efforts to take over elections in current months regardless that the U.S. Structure offers states, not federal officers, the authority to run elections. Most states have their secretary of state oversee elections.

Entry to election data varies by state, however election officers typically launch redacted variations of their voter rolls to the general public and authorities companies, in line with Politico. Nonetheless, the DOJ has demanded that states give the federal authorities unredacted information, together with voters' personal knowledge akin to their driver’s license numbers and the final 4 digits of their Social Safety numbers.

"Correct, well-maintained voter rolls are a requisite for the election integrity that the American folks deserve," Legal professional Common Pam Bondi stated in an announcement. "This newest sequence of litigation underscores that this Division of Justice is fulfilling its responsibility to make sure transparency, voter roll upkeep, and safe elections throughout the nation."

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Assistant Legal professional Common for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon purported that state election officers have been "selecting to battle us in court docket relatively than present their work" with voter roll entry. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Photographs)

The DOJ has argued the states are in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1960, which affirms that the lawyer common can request voter data from election officers, however state officers contend that the division is searching for an escalation of the administration’s wider makes an attempt to develop into concerned in state election proceedings .

"Neither state nor federal legislation entitles the Division of Justice to gather personal data on law-abiding Americans. Utahns could be assured that my workplace will all the time observe the Structure and the legislation, defend voters’ rights, and administer free and honest elections," Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson stated in an announcement to Politico.

Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams additionally criticized the lawsuit, saying the state’s elections have been "a nationwide success story."

"Kentucky legislation protects voters’ private data, and I cannot voluntarily commit a knowledge breach by offering Kentuckians’ private knowledge to the federal forms until a court docket order tells me to," he stated in an announcement to the outlet.

West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner’s workplace stated it had not but been served with a lawsuit.

"Regardless, I feel Secretary Warner’s feedback to the DOJ have been fairly clear. Convey it on! The federal authorities will not be going to get any private data on West Virginia voters so long as Kris Warner is Secretary of State," spokesperson Mike Queen stated in an announcement to Politico.

State officers argue that the DOJ is searching for an escalation of the Trump administration’s wider makes an attempt to develop into concerned in state election proceedings. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Photographs)

Earlier this month, the FBI executed a search warrant at an election workplace in Fulton County, Georgia, seizing ballots and different voting data from 2020, in line with native officers. The Peach State went to former President Joe Biden in 2020, however Trump carried the state in 2024.

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In efforts to make sure solely Americans are voting, Trump has additionally urged Congress to move the SAVE America Act, which might require voters in federal elections to show citizenship by offering a photograph ID and different documentation, akin to a passport or start certificates.