Key Facts

• The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division sent letters threatening criminal action for knowingly letting non-citizens vote or remain on voter rolls.
• States were asked to explain their plans to comply with federal laws preventing non-citizen voting.
• States have five days to respond to the Justice Department’s request.
• Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said that election officials could face criminal liability for knowingly allowing non-citizens to vote.
• President Trump has claimed non-citizens often vote in federal elections, though such cases are rare.
• President Trump supports a bill requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote and issued an executive order to stop mailing ballots to non-eligible voters, which was blocked by a judge.
• The Justice Department aims to screen voter rolls for non-citizens and share data with the Department of Homeland Security.
• So far, courts have ruled against the Justice Department’s efforts to get unredacted voter rolls from states.
• Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes rejected the letter’s claims, stating Arizona election officials follow the law and work to keep voter rolls accurate.