Attorney General Pam Bondy has instructed Department of Justice (DOJ) officials to examine election practices nationwide. This initiative is part of the Trump administration’s broader push to enforce federal election regulations more strictly.
The DOJ’s civil rights division is primarily driving this initiative, which focuses on gathering information from states about their election processes and voter registration lists, specifically looking to identify non-citizens on these lists.
A source within the DOJ remarked, “Ensuring election integrity begins with maintaining an accurate voter roll, which is essential for safe elections. Some states have a history of neglecting to update their rolls, and this DOJ is responding to that.”
States such as Wisconsin and Utah have recently engaged with the DOJ regarding election matters, while New Hampshire’s Republican Secretary of State declined to provide the DOJ with statewide voter data, arguing that the law prohibits such action.
The DOJ has sent unusual requests to various local election offices in California, seeking detailed personal information about non-citizens registered to vote. In Orange County, one recipient of this request objected, advocating for the DOJ to reconsider, asserting that local officials are authorized under federal law to keep voter information confidential.
This surge of activity traces back to an executive order signed earlier in March, which tasked the national attorney general with overseeing election integrity. Trump mandated the DOJ to evaluate how states maintain their voter registration lists, facilitate information-sharing agreements, and penalize states that are uncooperative or that prosecute election-related offenses.
Some Democratic-run states have filed lawsuits against this order, and federal judges in Massachusetts have provisionally blocked parts of it, stating that “the constitution does not grant the president specific powers regarding elections.” The DOJ is seeking a definitive ruling on this matter.
Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) criticized the DOJ’s approach, claiming it targets and suppresses the voting rights of racial minorities. He stated, “These measures aimed at combating fraud disproportionately affect voters of color, low-income communities, and active-duty veterans.”
Trump has frequently aired grievances concerning voter fraud, alleging widespread illegal voting by immigrants, though evidence supporting such claims remains scant.
The nation routinely identifies and removes non-citizens from voter rolls as part of its regular maintenance, but such individuals seldom vote. According to the Center for Election Innovation and Research, “the existing safeguards are highly effective.”
In a related incident last October, a Chinese citizen was accused of voting illegally in Michigan’s 2024 election. The individual, a University of Michigan student living in the U.S. legally, had completed same-day voter registration using their student ID. They now face charges of voter fraud and perjury.
