The U.S. Department of Justice filed federal lawsuits Thursday against Utah, Oklahoma, Kentucky, West Virginia, and New Jersey for not producing their complete voter registration lists after requests. The actions bring the total number of states sued by the department to 29, plus the District of Columbia.

Attorney General Pamela Bondi emphasized the importance of the effort. "Accurate, well-maintained voter rolls are a requisite for the election integrity that the American people deserve," she said. "This latest series of litigation underscores that this Department of Justice is fulfilling its duty to ensure transparency, voter roll maintenance, and secure elections across the country."

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet K. Dhillon added that the department would persist despite resistance. "The Justice Department will continue to fulfill its oversight role dutifully, neutrally, and transparently wherever Americans vote in federal elections," Dhillon stated. She noted that state officials were opting for court battles over compliance: "We will not be deterred, regardless of party affiliation, from carrying out critical election integrity legal duties."

The lawsuits invoke authority under the Civil Rights Act of 1960, which grants the attorney general power to demand statewide voter registration lists for inspection and analysis to identify improper registrations. The department seeks unredacted data, including sensitive details such as driver's license numbers and the last four digits of Social Security numbers, to cross-check for issues like non-citizen voting.

This campaign began in May 2025, with the DOJ requesting records from nearly every state and the District of Columbia. While some states provided redacted versions, others resisted, citing privacy laws and a lack of legal obligation to share personal data without a court order.

State officials named in the suits pushed back. Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, who oversees elections, said neither state nor federal law requires handing over private voter information. "Utahns can be assured that my office will always follow the Constitution and the law, protect voters’ rights, and administer free and fair elections," she said.

Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams called Kentucky's elections a "national success story" and vowed not to breach voter privacy voluntarily. "Kentucky law protects voters’ personal information, and I will not voluntarily commit a data breach by providing Kentuckians’ personal data to the federal bureaucracy unless a court order tells me to," Adams stated.

In West Virginia, a spokesperson for Secretary of State Kris Warner welcomed the legal fight. "The federal government is not going to get any personal information on West Virginia voters as long as Kris Warner is Secretary of State," the office said.

Four of the states, Utah, Oklahoma, Kentucky, and West Virginia, supported President Donald Trump in the 2020 and 2024 elections, marking a shift as most prior suits targeted Democrat-led states. The cases were filed in federal district courts in each state, seeking court orders for prompt data production.