The Justice Department filed lawsuits Tuesday against six blue states Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington accusing them of violating federal law by refusing to provide statewide voter registration rolls upon request.

The complaints filed by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division argue the states failed to meet their legal obligations under the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act and the Civil Rights Act of 1960. These three federal statutes require states to maintain accurate voter rolls and make those records available for inspection.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said state refusals to disclose the lists undermine the transparency and accountability those laws were designed to guarantee.

“Accurate voter rolls are the cornerstone of fair and free elections, and too many states have fallen into a pattern of noncompliance with basic voter roll maintenance. The Department of Justice will continue filing proactive election integrity litigation until states comply with basic election safeguards.”

According to the DOJ the agency formally requested each state’s current statewide voter registration roll and did not receive the required records. In each lawsuit the department argues that Congress gave the attorney general clear authority to demand the production, inspection and analysis of voter registration data to ensure compliance with federal law.

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon who leads the Civil Rights Division said the department is escalating enforcement efforts ahead of the 2026 election cycle.

“Our federal elections laws ensure every American citizen may vote freely and fairly. States that continue to defy federal voting laws interfere with our mission of ensuring that Americans have accurate voter lists as they go to the polls, that every vote counts equally, and that all voters have confidence in election results. At this Department of Justice, we will not stand for this open defiance of federal civil rights laws.”

The DOJ says the lawsuits are part of a broader effort to enforce voter registration transparency requirements that Congress put in place to ensure public confidence in election administration. NVRA requires states to maintain accurate voter lists and produce them upon request. HAVA mandates states modernize and safeguard voter registration systems. The Civil Rights Act of 1960 authorizes the government to inspect and copy certain election records including voter rolls.

Fox News Digital has reached out to elections officials in all six states for comment.

Federal officials have increasingly pressed states on voter roll compliance issues in recent years arguing that transparency around registration lists is essential to maintaining accurate records, preventing administrative errors and ensuring voters have confidence in election outcomes. The DOJ says the six states named in these new suits have repeatedly failed to meet the department’s requests.

The cases will now move forward in federal court where judges could order the states to turn over the voter lists, impose compliance deadlines or issue injunctions requiring adherence to federal law.

Election law disputes over voter roll access and maintenance have escalated nationwide as states prepare for the 2026 midterms. The DOJ’s latest actions show an aggressive legal posture toward states that fail to meet federal disclosure rules.

The department says it will continue filing proactive election integrity litigation until states comply and has left open the possibility of additional lawsuits.

The six blue states refusing to comply all share Democratic governors and legislatures. This pattern suggests coordinated resistance to federal oversight of election administration.

Voter registration rolls are essential for detecting fraud and ensuring only eligible citizens vote. When states hide these records from federal inspection they make it impossible to verify the integrity of their elections.

The refusal to provide voter rolls despite repeated federal requests represents open defiance of laws passed by Congress. These states are essentially claiming they can ignore federal election law with impunity.

Attorney General Bondi’s statement about too many states falling into a pattern of noncompliance indicates this problem extends beyond just these six. More lawsuits could be coming against other states that refuse to cooperate.

Harmeet Dhillon’s warning about open defiance of federal civil rights laws frames this as a matter of constitutional authority. The federal government has clear power to enforce election laws and states cannot simply refuse to comply.

The timing ahead of the 2026 midterms is crucial. Getting accurate voter rolls now allows time to clean them up before the next election cycle. States that delay or obstruct this process may be trying to protect inaccurate rolls that benefit their preferred candidates.

The three federal statutes cited in the lawsuits National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act and Civil Rights Act of 1960 were all designed to ensure fair elections. States ignoring these laws are undermining election integrity.