RICHMOND, Va. — The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a federal lawsuit against the Commonwealth of Virginia, alleging the state failed to provide complete voter registration records as required under federal law.
The lawsuit, announced Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, claims Virginia did not fully comply with requests for its statewide voter registration lists. Federal officials say the information is required to ensure transparency and compliance with election laws.
“This Department of Justice has now sued 24 states for failing to provide voter roll data and will continue filing lawsuits to protect American elections,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. “Accurate voter rolls are the foundation of election integrity, and any state that fails to meet this basic obligation of transparency can expect to see us in court.”
According to the Justice Department, Congress has authorized the attorney general to enforce the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act — laws designed to ensure states properly maintain and disclose voter registration records. Federal officials say those laws are critical to ensuring that only eligible voters are registered and that ballots are counted accurately.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon, who leads the Civil Rights Division, said accurate voter rolls are essential to protecting fair elections and ensuring that votes are counted only once and only from eligible voters.
Lindsey Halligan, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said states that fail to provide required information undermine public trust and violate federal law.
Virginia is one of 24 states, along with Washington, D.C., that the Justice Department says it has sued nationwide over similar allegations.
State election officials have not yet publicly responded to the lawsuit.
