DOJ cracks down on noncitizen voter rolls under Trump’s election integrity order

By Ashley Oliver , David Spunt | Fox News

Civil Rights Division seeks voter registration data with emphasis on identifying noncitizens on rolls

Attorney General Pam Bondi has directed Department of Justice (DOJ) officials to probe election practices throughout the country as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to crack down on federal election laws.

The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division is largely leading the effort, which has involved seeking information from states about their election practices and voter registration lists, sometimes known as “voter rolls,” and placing an emphasis on identifying any noncitizens on them. 

“Election integrity starts with clean voter rolls. That’s the foundation for secure elections,” a DOJ source told Fox News. “There’s been a culture of noncompliance from several states that don’t keep their roles updated. This DOJ is cracking down.” 

Some states, like Wisconsin and Utah, shared recent election-related correspondence they had with the DOJ on state websites. New Hampshire’s Republican secretary of state rejected a request to provide the DOJ with a statewide database of voters, saying laws do not allow the state to do that.

The department sent more unusual demand letters to numerous local election offices in California, asking for extensive personal data about any noncitizens who ended up on voter registration lists.

At least one of the recipients, Orange County, resisted the request, prompting the DOJ to sue. Attorneys for the county responded that county election officials were authorized under federal law to withhold sensitive information about voters.

The flurry of activity stems from an executive order Trump signed in March tasking the attorney general with coordinating with states on election integrity, which has been a top priority for him since his 2020 election loss. Trump ordered the DOJ to review how states manage their voter registration lists, enter into information-sharing agreements with the states, aid states with prosecuting election-related crimes, and punish uncooperative states where possible.

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