President Donald Trump's Justice Department has announced it will take six blue states to court demanding access to voter registration lists.
"Every state has a responsibility to ensure that voter registration records are accurate, accessible, and secure — states that don’t fulfill that obligation will see this Department of Justice in court," Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement, according to Reuters.
California, New York, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania are all being targeted by the DOJ's Civil Rights Division.
The court filing claims that the Justice Department has a legal right to access the voter registration lists to conduct oversight.
"The Civil Rights Division has, in the last several months, sent requests for voter registration-related information to at least 24 states, including requesting a complete list of all registered voters from at least 22 states," said Reuters.
The lawsuit against these six states adds to the lawsuit announced last week against Maine and Oregon, which also alleged the states refused to turn over copies of all voter registration lists.
The demands for the lists follow a September report stating that the Justice Department is collaborating with the Department of Homeland Security to transfer voter registration data for use in immigration investigations.
President Donald Trump has spent years alleging unverified claims that millions of undocumented immigrants are voting illegally in the United States.
