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Thursday, November 6, 2025

Category: Election Integrity
3 hours ago
Crime
Election Integrity
Immigration

Migrant Mayor Faces Charges for Voting Illegally.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A non-citizen Kansas mayor has been charged with voting unlawfully in multiple elections.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Coldwater Mayor Joe Ceballos, Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, and Attorney General Kris Kobach.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Charges were filed in Comanche County for alleged voting violations in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Ceballos’s first court appearance is scheduled for December 3.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Noncitizen voting is a real problem. It is not something that happens once in a decade. It is something that happens fairly frequently.” – Kris Kobach

🎯IMPACT: The case highlights concerns over the integrity of elections, with foreign nationals able to vote in them due to inadequate safeguards despite a legal ban.

IN FULL

Kansas Republican Secretary of State Scott Schwab and Attorney General Kris Kobach have filed six charges against Coldwater Mayor Joe Ceballos, a legal permanent resident from Mexico, accusing him of illegally voting as a non-citizen in elections in 2022, 2023, and 2024. The charges, brought in Comanche County, involve perjury and casting ballots without eligibility, with a possible prison term exceeding five years.

Ceballos, a former city council member, was reelected on Tuesday, although this is currently uncertified. Kobach pointed out that city officials must be U.S. citizens by law—although failing to meet that criterion isn’t a crime itself—meaning he will likely be removed from office.

“In large part, our system right now is based on trust. Trust that when the person signed the registration or signs the pollbooks saying that he’s a qualified elector or that he is a United States citizen, that the person is telling the truth,” Kobach stressed, adding: “In this case, we allege that Mr. Ceballos violated that trust.”

He emphasized that non-citizen voting, despite being legally banned, is a recurring problem due to a lack of safeguards being in place to detect it. “It is not something that happens once in a decade. It is something that happens fairly frequently,” he said. The National Pulse has previously reported on academic research suggesting that non-citizens, who tend to favor the Democrats, vote on a large enough scale to swing elections, “likely [giving] Senate Democrats the pivotal 60th vote needed to overcome filibusters in order to pass health care reform and other Obama administration priorities in the 111th Congress,” for instance.

Kansas is now cross-referencing voter lists with a federal immigration database, anticipating it will reveal more such violations. “We now have tools, thanks to the current White House, that we haven’t had in over 10 years… we can check through the SAVE program, to find out if folks end up on our voter rolls,” Schwab said.

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18 hours ago
Election Integrity
News

Texas Passes Explicit Constitutional Ban on Noncitizen Voting.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Texans approved a constitutional amendment to prohibit non-U.S. citizens from voting in the state.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Texas voters, Governor Greg Abbott (R), and state legislators.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The vote took place in Texas during the most recent election period.

💬KEY QUOTE: “It is now in our Constitution that only U.S. citizens can vote in Texas elections,” said Governor Abbott.

🎯IMPACT: The amendment reinforces existing state and federal laws barring non-citizens from voting.

IN FULL

Texas voters have overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment that explicitly bans non-U.S. citizens from voting in state elections. The proposal, linked to Senate Joint Resolution 37, passed with nearly 72 percent support, according to unofficial results. The measure adds language to the state constitution stating that “persons who are not citizens of the United States” are among those prohibited from voting in Texas elections.

Texas law already requires U.S. citizenship to register to vote, and federal law bars non-citizens from voting in federal contests, including presidential and congressional races. However, supporters of the amendment said the change ensures the restriction is permanently enshrined in the state’s highest legal document. Governor Greg Abbott (R) celebrated the outcome on X, writing, “It is now in our Constitution that only U.S. citizens can vote in Texas elections.”

The amendment’s passage comes amid heightened scrutiny of voter eligibility across the state. In recent years, Texas officials have taken a series of steps to tighten election security and remove ineligible voters from state rolls. In 2024, the state reported removing roughly one million ineligible names from the voter database, including more than 6,500 flagged as non-citizens. State officials have also referred dozens of alleged cases of non-citizen voting from the 2024 general election to the Texas Attorney General’s office for further investigation.

These actions follow a broader national debate over election integrity and the extent to which non-citizen voting may occur in local or state elections. Supporters of the amendment argue that clear constitutional language helps prevent future confusion and strengthens public trust in elections.

The Texas initiative aligns with a broader push in several Republican-led states to reaffirm or expand constitutional prohibitions on non-citizen voting. Lawmakers and advocacy groups in states including Florida, Ohio, and Wisconsin have advanced similar proposals in recent years.

Texas has also drawn attention for its efforts to maintain clean voter rolls. State election officials have cited data-sharing programs and verification systems designed to identify and remove ineligible voters.

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November 4, 2025
Election Integrity

Dems Caught ‘Rigging’ House Primary.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Representative Jesús “Chuy” García (D-IL) is not expected to continue his reelection bid for Illinois’ 4th Congressional District, leaving his chief of staff as the only other Democrat positioned on the ballot.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, his chief of staff Patty Garcia, Republican Lupe Castillo, and Working Class Party candidate Ed Hershey.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Illinois’ 4th Congressional District; nominating petitions were filed by the October 30, 2025, deadline.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I think some of it is xenophobia,” García said last month when addressing concerns about former President Joe Biden’s policies affecting cities like Chicago.

🎯IMPACT: If García withdraws, Patty Garcia would be the only Democrat on the ballot in a heavily blue district, sparking criticisms of a “coronation” rather than a genuine open primary process.

IN FULL

Representative Jesús “Chuy” García (D-IL) appears to have colluded with his chief of staff and hand-picked successor, Patty Garcia, to prevent her from having to face any significant primary challenge. García is accused of announcing his re-election with no intention of actually seeing through the bid, instead allowing his anticipated campaign to clear the field for his chief of staff to file her own candidacy at the filing deadline. The maneuver has effectively closed off the primary field to any other Democrat candidates, and with García’s expected retirement, Patty Garcia will be the only candidate on the party’s primary ballot.

Patty Garcia filed her completed petitions to run in the Westside Chicago district at 5:00 PM on October 30, the deadline for entry. Meanwhile, her boss, Rep. García, had filed his own ballot petitions earlier this year—which effectively discouraged any potential candidates for the seat, especially those who would run in an open race. However, it is now being widely reported that Chuy García intends to withdraw his name from the primary contest and retire.

By pulling his petitions, Rep. Chuy García would effectively leave Patty Garcia, who is reportedly not a relative, as the only Democrat on the ballot in the 4th Congressional District. Critics are likening the decision to classic Chicago Democrat machine politics—depriving primary voters of any real choice on who should succeed the 69-year-old Democrat congressman. Patty Garcia will face off in the general election against Republican Lupe Castillo and Working Class Party candidate Ed Hershey, both of whom Chuy García easily defeated in the 2024 race.

 García’s alignment with radical priorities has been documented extensively, including his involvement in a George Soros-linked “abolish ICE” initiative and his proposals to allow illegal immigrants to vote in certain Chicago elections. Patty Garcia, who became chief of staff in 2023 after serving as district director since 2019, has prior experience in candidate training programs for Latino and black policymakers.

Image by Charles Edward Miller.

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November 4, 2025
Election Integrity
News

Bomb Threats Disrupt Voting at Multiple Polling Stations.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Bomb threats were made at schools and polling locations across New Jersey, prompting closures and relocations.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: New Jersey voters, law enforcement, and state officials, including Attorney General Matthew Platkin (D).

📍WHEN & WHERE: Tuesday in New Jersey, across at least seven counties, including Bergen, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Passaic.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Voters should continue to have confidence that they can cast their ballot without fear of intimidation, and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure a free, fair, and secure election.” – Matthew Platkin

🎯IMPACT: Temporary closures and relocations of polling stations, with law enforcement ensuring voter safety.

IN FULL

Several schools and polling places across New Jersey were disrupted by bomb threats during today’s gubernatorial elections, forcing temporary closures and relocations in at least seven counties, including Bergen, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Passaic. Other polling places across the state remain unaffected.

In Paterson, School 2 and School 10 were closed after threats were received. Hackensack High School was also targeted, prompting a K9 sweep before reopening around 7:30 AM. Ridgewood authorities reported a threat at Somerville Elementary School, leading to the closure of the district’s public schools for the day, though voting continued at the building. In Middlesex County, Avanel Middle School was shut down due to what officials described as an “active law enforcement investigation,” and voters were redirected to Woodbine Avenue Elementary School. Lake Como and Passaic also reported similar incidents, with Passaic Mayor Hector Lora confirming threats in his city.

Despite the disruptions, other polling locations across the state continued to operate as scheduled. Authorities quickly secured affected sites, allowing some to reopen once law enforcement determined they were safe. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin urged residents to remain confident in the state’s election process, saying, “Voters should continue to have confidence that they can cast their ballot without fear of intimidation, and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure a free, fair, and secure election. Make no mistake: We will not tolerate any attempts to interfere with our elections, and we will swiftly hold accountable anyone who seeks to interfere with the safety or security of our electoral process.”

Concerns about election security have also surfaced in other states. Last year in Arizona, a Democrat election worker in Maricopa County was arrested after allegedly stealing a security fob and keys used for ballot tabulation machines. County officials said all equipment connected to the incident was immediately reprogrammed and retested to ensure the integrity of the elections.

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October 21, 2025
Election Integrity
News

Thousands of Potential Noncitizens Found on Texas Voter Rolls.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Texas Secretary of State’s office identified 2,724 people on voter rolls who may not be U.S. citizens, following a cross-check with the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson and county election officials, utilizing data from the federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) SAVE program.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Texas, with a press release issued on Monday, covering all 254 counties in the state.

💬KEY QUOTE: “We appreciate the partnership with the federal government to verify the citizenship of those on our voter rolls and maintain accurate voter lists.” – Jane Nelson

🎯IMPACT: County election officials will notify flagged voters, with a 30-day period to verify citizenship before potential removal from voter rolls.

IN FULL

The office of Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson has pinpointed 2,724 possible noncitizens listed on the state’s voter registration database, following a cross-check with the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system. This initiative, supported by the Trump administration’s broadened access to federal records, represents a key advancement in ensuring accurate voter rolls.

Secretary of State Jane Nelson remarked: “We appreciate the partnership with the federal government to verify the citizenship of those on our voter rolls and maintain accurate voter lists.” The process involved scrutinizing 18 million voter records against SAVE’s citizenship information, highlighting cases for additional checks. These potential cases are distributed throughout Texas counties, with the highest concentrations in Harris (362), Dallas (277), Bexar (201), and El Paso (165).

Local county election authorities are now alerting those flagged and offering a 30-day period to confirm their citizenship. Voters who fail to submit evidence could see their registrations suspended temporarily, with the option for restoration once eligibility is validated. Federal election laws bar noncitizens from casting votes.

A Department of Homeland Security representative commented, “Illegal aliens have exploited outdated systems to defraud Americans and taint our elections. This revamped SAVE system will ensure government officials can swiftly verify legal status, halting entitlements and voter fraud.”

The examination encompassed all 254 Texas counties, assigning election officials the duty of in-depth probes to guarantee that only qualified voters stay listed. Secretary Nelson stressed, “Everyone’s right to vote is sacred and must be protected. The SAVE database has proven to be a critically important data set and one of many that we will continue to use in Texas to ensure that only qualified voters cast a ballot in our elections.”

Image by Lorie Shaull.

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October 17, 2025
Election Integrity
News

Smartmatic Charged with Money Laundering, Bribing Election Officials.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Federal prosecutors charged Smartmatic with money laundering and bribing Philippine election officials.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Smartmatic, co-founder Roger Piñate, and Philippine election official Juan Andrés Donato Bautista.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Payments were made between 2015 and 2018, related to the 2016 Philippine presidential election.

🎯IMPACT: Raises questions about election integrity and corporate influence.

IN FULL

On Thursday, federal prosecutors charged Smartmatic, a controversial voting technology company, with money laundering and bribing Philippine election officials with $1 million. The allegations relate to payments Smartmatic allegedly made to win a contract with the Philippine government for managing the 2016 presidential election and to ensure prompt payment for its services. These transactions reportedly took place between 2015 and 2018.

In 2024, three former Smartmatic executives, including co-founder Roger Piñate, faced charges, though the company itself was not initially named as a defendant. Prosecutors also claim Piñate bribed a high-ranking Venezuelan election official with a luxury home in Caracas in exchange for political favors.

In the Philippines, Piñate faces charges in a $1 million bribery scheme involving overpriced voting machines, with the surplus funds allegedly channeled into secret accounts to bribe election official Juan Andrés Donato Bautista.

Smartmatic has sued multiple American news outlets for their reporting on allegations that its voting machines were used improperly during the 2020 elections, with Democrat megadonor and Epstein Island visitor Reid Hoffman funding the lawsuits. Previously, liberal plutocrat George Soros recruited a Smartmatic chairman to serve as president of his Open Society Foundations organization.

Image by Patrickroque01.

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October 15, 2025
William Upton
Election Integrity
SCOTUS

Could the Supreme Court Kill the Voting Rights Act’s Discriminatory Section 2?

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The United States Supreme Court heard arguments on Wednesday in Louisiana v. Callais, a potential landmark Voting Rights Act (VRA) case.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Louisiana, the United States Supreme Court, lower federal courts, black voters, and Democratic Party-aligned advocacy groups.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Wednesday, October 15, 2025, at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.

🎯IMPACT: If successful, Louisiana v. Callais could see Section 2 of the VRA either diluted in terms of its scope of enforcement or declared unconstitutional altogether.

IN FULL

The United States Supreme Court heard arguments on Wednesday in Louisiana v. Callais, a potential landmark Voting Rights Act (VRA) case. Louisiana claims that its forced compliance with Section 2 of the VRA—a permanent, nationwide provision that bans voting practices or procedures that discriminate based on race, color, or language minority status—by federal courts resulting in a remedial congressional map is unconstitutional under the 14th and 15th Amendments.

Black voters and Democratic Party-aligned advocacy groups contend that a 2022 congressional map unlawfully dilutes black voting power by packing most black voters into one district (the 2nd Congressional District) while spreading the rest thinly across others, failing to create a second majority-minority district in the state where black residents comprise about 33 percent of the population. A three-judge federal panel agreed, ruling the map violated the VRA and the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, and ordered a remedial map that created a second black-majority district—which critics argue lacks cogerence because of the geographic distribution of black voters.

Louisiana argues that the three-judge appellate panel’s order to create a second majority-minority district is forcing the state to engage in intentional stereotyping and race-based gerrymandering. Further, Louisiana contends that a race-based remedy should only be in response to intentional race-based discrimination.

Notably, Louisiana v. Callais seeks to circumvent pitfalls faced by Alabama’s challenge to the VRA in Allen v. Milligan. On June 8, 2023—in a 5–4 ruling—the Supreme Court ruled that Alabama likely violated the VRA, and upheld a lower court order that forced Alabama to create an additional majority-minority congressional district.

Additionally, the state contends in a previous case, Robinson v. Ardoin, that plaintiffs could only show that a remedial map creates a new Democratic majority district, but not necessarily a majority black voter district. This 1986 case, Louisiana argues, misapplies Thornburg v. Gingles—which set the standard for proving vote dilution claims under Section 2. The state said it believes that Gingles, as implemented in Robinson, creates constitutional problems as it subordinates neutral principles to race-based standards in redistricting.

If successful, Louisiana v. Callais could see Section 2 of the VRA either diluted in terms of its scope of enforcement or declared unconstitutional altogether. However, during Wednesday’s oral arguments, the high court’s liberal wing, along with Justice Amy Coney Barrett, appeared fairly unconvinced of the argument that Section 2 is unconstitutional, suggesting another narrow and limited decision is likely.

Image by Joe Ravi.

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October 14, 2025
Election Integrity
Politics

Is Obama Becoming an Election Denier?

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Former President Barack Obama appeared in an advertisement urging California voters to support Governor Gavin Newsom’s (D-CA) redistricting campaign, Proposition 50, ahead of a special election next month, claiming Republicans are stealing the 2026 midterm elections.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Barack Obama, Gov. Newsom, California voters, and Republican lawmakers targeted by the campaign.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The ad began airing on Tuesday, with the special election set for November 4 in California.

💬KEY QUOTE: Obama’s ad accuses Republicans of attempting to “steal enough seats in Congress to rig the next election and wield unchecked power for two more years.”

🎯IMPACT: If passed, Prop 50 would circumvent the state’s independent redistricting commission to target the districts of five GOP lawmakers in California, in the name of countering Republican redistricting efforts in other states.

IN FULL

Former President Barack Obama is urging California voters to back Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom‘s Proposition 50 redistricting campaign, claiming it is needed to stop Republicans from stealing the 2026 midterm congressional elections. In a 30-second advertisement released Tuesday, Obama stated, “California, the whole nation is counting on you. Democracy is on the ballot November 4.”

Obama’s ad accuses Republicans of attempting to “steal enough seats in Congress to rig the next election and wield unchecked power for two more years.” He urges voters to approve Prop 50, claiming it would “stop Republicans in their tracks.”

The advertisement is drawing allegations that Obama is setting the stage for Democrats to deny and undermine the outcome of the midterm election results should Republicans retain control of Congress, while justifying Newsom’s bid to tilt the congressional map in the Democrats’ favor. Notably, the former Biden government moved to criminally prosecute Republicans, including President Donald J. Trump, for challenging the integrity of the 2020 elections.

Newsom launched the campaign earlier this year. It aims to overturn his state’s independent redistricting commission and allow the Democrat-controlled legislature to redraw California’s congressional map. Newsom and his allies are specifically targeting five California Republican congressmen, hoping to alter their districts to be more favorable to Democratic candidates.

While Democrats hold a financial advantage in the campaign, polling indicates that a majority of California voters oppose Proposition 50. At an August fundraiser, Obama acknowledged that “political gerrymandering” was not his “preference” but argued that Democrats must respond to President Trump and his congressional allies. He warned that GOP-controlled state governments and the White House “do not appear to believe in this idea of an inclusive, expansive democracy.”

Image by Gage Skidmore.

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October 3, 2025
Election Integrity
News

Amazon Sent One Woman Hundreds of Ballots in This Dem State.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: A Maine woman received 250 unused state election ballots in an Amazon package she ordered, prompting an investigation.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D), Maine House Republican Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham, and voters in the state.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Newburgh, Maine, just days before mail-in voting begins for a state referendum on absentee voting regulations.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Safe and secure elections are my top priority. Law enforcement is working diligently to determine who is responsible, and they will be held accountable.” – Shenna Bellows

🎯IMPACT: The incident has raised serious concerns about election security, with calls for federal investigations and tighter voting regulations.

IN FULL

A woman in Newburgh, Maine, was stunned to discover 250 unused state election ballots inside an Amazon package she had ordered, which was supposed to contain coffee, rice, and paper plates. Speaking anonymously, the woman said the package appeared to have been opened and resealed before it arrived at her home.

After finding the ballots, she contacted local authorities, who helped transfer them to the Newburgh town clerk’s office. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D) confirmed that an investigation has been launched into how the ballots ended up outside the official chain of custody. “Safe and secure elections are my top priority. As soon as we became aware of allegations of ballots being received outside of the appropriate chain of custody, I immediately initiated an investigation through my secretary of state’s law enforcement division,” Bellows said in a statement.

The incident has triggered calls for broader investigations. Maine House Republican Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham is urging U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel to open a federal probe. “The discovery of hundreds of authentic state ballots in a private Amazon delivery is beyond alarming. When ballots appear in household shipments of rice and toys, trust is shattered. Mainers deserve answers, accountability, and immediate action,” Faulkingham said.

Notably, Bellows attempted to unilaterally ban Donald J. Trump from appearing on Maine’s presidential primary ballots in 2023, alleging he had violated the Constitution’s insurrection clause. This suggests to some conservatives that she is a partisan actor who cannot be relied upon to uphold election integrity.

The campaign group Voter ID for ME reacted strongly to the scandal on social media, writing, “HUNDREDS of ballots are now turning up in Amazon packages?? This isn’t satire, fear mongering or political hyperbole. It’s reality. And it’s very likely not a one‑off, either. This is HUGE and means our elections are even MORE unsafe than we thought.”

The incident adds to a growing list of ballot-related concerns across the country. In Rhode Island, a Democrat lawmaker was recently accused of distributing misleading “sample ballots” that omitted opposing party candidates. In Pennsylvania, thousands of overseas military ballots have been challenged due to discrepancies. A 2025 FBI report also concluded that China attempted to exploit mail-in ballots to influence the 2020 election.

This has all fueled efforts to restrict mail-in voting, including a campaign by President Donald J. Trump calling for a ban on mail-in ballots and electronic voting machines.

Image via Stock Catalog.

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September 17, 2025
Election Integrity

Trump DOJ Sues Democrat States for Withholding Voter Data.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed lawsuits against Oregon and Maine to obtain sensitive voter registration data, including partial Social Security numbers, after the states refused to comply with federal requests.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The DOJ, Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read (D), Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D), and the DOJ Civil Rights Division’s Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The lawsuits were announced Tuesday, targeting Democrat-led states Oregon and Maine.

💬KEY QUOTE: “States simply cannot pick and choose which federal laws they will comply with.” — Harmeet Dhillon

🎯IMPACT: The lawsuits highlight ongoing Democrat efforts to resist and undermine President Donald J. Trump’s election integrity initiatives.

IN FULL

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced late Tuesday that it filed lawsuits against Oregon and Maine after the states refused to comply with requests for voter registration lists. These lawsuits mark the first legal actions against states resisting such requests.

“States simply cannot pick and choose which federal laws they will comply with,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, head of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, when announcing the legal action. She added: “American citizens have a right to feel confident in the integrity of our electoral process, and the refusal of certain states to protect their citizens against vote dilution will result in legal consequences.”

The DOJ argues the data is necessary to ensure compliance with federal voter registration maintenance laws. Further, the department alleges that Oregon and Maine election officials have failed to provide adequate answers and sufficient evidence to determine whether they’re acting in accordance with federal election law.

Responding to the lawsuits, Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read (D) stated, “If the President wants to use the DOJ to go after his political opponents and undermine our elections, I look forward to seeing them in court.” Similarly, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D) claimed her office is concerned about voter data security, calling the DOJ’s actions a “fishing expedition.”

Election officials in other states have also resisted similar requests from the DOJ, citing privacy and security concerns. It remains unclear whether the DOJ will pursue legal action against additional states that have declined to provide voter data.

Image by Steve Fernie.

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