The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced it has filed federal lawsuits against Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington for failing to provide statewide voter registration lists as required by law.
“Accurate voter rolls are the cornerstone of fair and free elections, and too many states have fallen into a pattern of noncompliance with basic voter roll maintenance,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said. She added that the department will continue filing election integrity lawsuits until states comply with federal safeguards.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said states that defy federal voting laws interfere with ensuring accurate voter lists, equal weight for every vote, and public confidence in election results. “At this Department of Justice, we will not stand for this open defiance of federal civil rights laws,” Dhillon said.
The lawsuits cite the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act, which require states to maintain proper voter registration systems. The Justice Department is also invoking the Civil Rights Act of 1960, which authorizes the attorney general to demand access to statewide voter registration records for inspection and enforcement.
