Authored by Troy Myers via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
The U.S. Department of Justice is suing the Commonwealth of Virginia over its failure to provide election records, according to a news release Friday.
This lawsuit becomes the latest in what’s been a flurry of legal actions by President Donald Trump’s administration against states to ensure election integrity and accurate voter rolls. The DOJ’s suit against Virginia now brings the total to 24 states and the District of Columbia.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon announced the latest lawsuit Friday evening in a post on X.
“Virginia becomes the next state sued for ignoring federal law!” Dhillon exclaimed in her post. “The Justice Department means business—and [the DOJ Civil Rights Division] will keep fighting to clean up voter rolls. Happy Friday!”
In the DOJ news release, Attorney General Pam Bondi said her office has sued the two dozen states, plus Washington, D.C., and will continue filing lawsuits to protect American elections.
“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,” Bondi said.
In the DOJ filing, Virginia Elections Commissioner Susan Beals is accused of violating a measure of the Civil Rights Act for not providing election records upon demand by the attorney general.
The Justice Department is asking the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to order Beals to turn over the statewide voter registration list, including each individual’s name, date of birth, address, and either their driver’s license number, last four digits of their Social Security number, or their Help America Vote Act unique identifier, the court documents read. The DOJ wants these records turned over within five days of a court order.
“Accurate voter rolls are essential to ensuring that American citizens’ votes count only once, and only with other eligible voters,” Dhillon said in the Friday news release.
“The Justice Department is committed to safeguarding fair and free elections, and will hold states accountable when they refuse to respect our federal elections laws.” [source]
Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said the commonwealth’s refusal to turn over voter rolls not only violates federal law but also undercuts public trust in elections.
“This office will enforce the law to ensure the public and federal authorities receive the information they are entitled to,” Halligan said.
Friday’s lawsuit against Virginia comes only a day after a federal judge dismissed a similar DOJ lawsuit against California. The Golden State declined to provide its voter rolls, citing state privacy laws. California offered redacted records instead.
The judge called the Justice Department’s demand for voter data was “unprecedented and illegal.”
Virginia Election Commissioner Beals’s email bounced back twice when The Epoch Times reached out for comment. The state’s department of elections did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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