BOISE, Idaho — The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Wednesday that it recently filed a federal lawsuit against the State of Idaho for "failing to produce their full voter registration lists upon request."
According to a DOJ news release, Idaho is the 30th state to be sued for failing to turn over voter rolls. Voter records often include driver's license and the last four digits of social security numbers.
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“The Justice Department will continue to fulfill its oversight role dutifully, neutrally, and transparently wherever Americans vote in federal elections,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Many state election officials, however, are choosing to fight us in court rather than show their work. We will continue to verify that all States are carrying out critical election integrity legal duties.”
The lawsuit claims that the U.S. Attorney General retains the authority to request voter records by the authority granted in the Civil Rights Act of 1960.
It remains unclear how the DOJ would use the voter records to ensure safe and fair elections.
The U.S. Constitution clearly states that it's the state's role, not the federal government's, to conduct and oversee elections.
Idaho News 6 has reached out to the Idaho Secretary of State for a comment on the matter, but has yet to hear back.
