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The Justice Department filed lawsuits Tuesday against six blue states: Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington, accusing them of violating federal law by refusing to provide statewide voter rolls upon request.
The complaints, filed by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, contend that states failed to comply with their legal obligations under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), and the Civil Rights Act of 1960, three federal laws that require states to maintain accurate voter rolls and make those records available for inspection.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said states’ refusals to release the lists undermined the transparency and accountability those laws were intended to provide.
“Accurate voter rolls are the cornerstone of fair and free elections, and too many states have fallen into a pattern of failing to uphold basic voter roll maintenance,” Bondi said in a statement announcing the lawsuits. “The Department of Justice will continue to pursue proactive election integrity lawsuits until states meet basic election safeguards.”
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The Justice Department announced a new lawsuit Tuesday against six blue states over access to voter rolls data. (Getty Images)
According to the DOJ, the agency officially requested each state’s current statewide voter roll and did not receive the required documents. In each lawsuit, the department argues that Congress gave the Attorney General clear authority to require the production, inspection and analysis of voter registration data to ensure compliance with federal law.
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon, who heads the Civil Rights Division, said the department is ramping up its enforcement efforts ahead of the 2026 election cycle.
“Our federal election laws ensure that every American citizen can vote freely and fairly,” Dhillon said. “States that continue to defy federal election laws are interfering with our mission to ensure that Americans have accurate voter rolls when they go to the polls, that every vote counts equally, and that all voters have confidence in election results. At the Department of Justice, we will not tolerate this open disregard of federal civil rights laws.”
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Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon arrives for a press conference at the Department of Justice September 29, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
The DOJ says the lawsuits are part of a broader effort to enforce voter registration transparency requirements that Congress put in place to ensure public trust in election administration. The NVRA requires states to maintain accurate voter rolls and produce them upon request; HAVA calls on states to modernize and protect voter registration systems; and the Civil Rights Act of 1960 allows the government to inspect and copy certain election records, including voter rolls.
Fox News Digital has reached out to election officials in all six states for comment.
The Justice Department has filed lawsuits against six blue states: Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington, accusing them of violating federal law by refusing to provide statewide voter rolls upon request. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
In recent years, federal officials have increasingly pressured states on voter roll compliance issues, arguing that transparency around registration rolls is essential to maintaining accurate records, preventing administrative errors and ensuring that voters have confidence in election results. The DOJ says the six states named in these new lawsuits have repeatedly failed to respond to the department’s requests.
The cases will now move forward in federal court, where judges could order states to turn over voter rolls, impose compliance deadlines or issue injunctions requiring compliance with federal law.
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Election law disputes over access to and maintenance of voter rolls have intensified nationwide as states prepare for the 2026 midterm elections and the DOJ’s latest actions show an aggressive legal stance toward states that fail to comply with federal disclosure rules.
The department says it will “continue to pursue proactive election integrity lawsuits until states comply” and left open the possibility of additional lawsuits.
