Key facts
- The U.S. Department of Justice sent letters to all 50 states and the District of Columbia warning election officials of potential criminal charges.
- The letters, sent by the Trump administration, state that election officers knowingly retaining noncitizens on voter lists or facilitating their voting could face criminal liability.
- The administration's actions are an attempt to pressure states ahead of the November midterm elections.
- The Justice Department has previously lost lawsuits seeking nonpublic voter data from states.
- Some Democratic state election officials condemned the warnings as politically motivated and lacking evidence of widespread noncitizen voting.
The U.S. Department of Justice has sent letters to all 50 states and the District of Columbia, warning election officials that they could face criminal charges for allowing noncitizens to remain on voter registration lists. The letters, sent by the Trump administration, cite federal laws designed to safeguard elections and bar noncitizens from voting. This move is seen as an effort to pressure states ahead of the November midterm elections, despite previous legal setbacks for the administration in obtaining nonpublic voter data. A Justice Department spokesperson stated the letters were to ensure voluntary compliance with federal law. Some Democratic state election officials criticized the warnings as politically motivated and lacking evidence of widespread noncitizen voting, while others defended their existing efforts to ensure only eligible citizens vote.