US DOJ Civil Rights Letter Warning: Elections Officials in all 50 States Subject to Criminal Prosecution if Noncitizens Vote

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division sent letters Tuesday to election officials in all 50 states and Washington D.C. warning that state and local officials could face criminal prosecution if they knowingly allow noncitizen voting.

Any amount of voter fraud is a significant amount of voter fraud for the @CivilRights Division!

This @TheJusticeDept will protect the sacred, civil right to vote through voter roll cleanup, interagency partnerships, and prosecuting election fraud! pic.twitter.com/cpTI7aWr3Y

— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) July 8, 2026

AG Dhillon said in an interview earlier Wednesday that the left used to insist that there is NO voter fraud. Then they moved the goal posts and now claim there’s no significant voter fraud.

“If one person votes illegally and cancels out my vote, that’s pretty significant,” Dhillon said.

The DOJ will prosecute elections officials who:

• Retain non-citizens on statewide voter registration lists (SVRLs).
• Facilitate non-citizens receiving or casting ballots in federal elections.
• Fail to maintain “clean” voter lists as required by federal law.

A DOJ spokesperson said, “The Department sent these letters to all 50 states and the District of Columbia, asking for voluntary compliance in a timely manner with their obligations under federal law to ensure only citizens vote in federal elections.”

Officials have 5 days to respond explaining their compliance with federal voter eligibility laws including the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), and Help America Vote Act (HAVA).

The letters cite potential liability for “aiding and abetting” non-citizen voting, or depriving citizens of a fair election process.

While Dhillon said the DOJ is helping states clean up their voter rolls, but it’s almost a full time endeavor, to do this right by the November General Election, this appropriately escalates ongoing DOJ efforts to access voter rolls, pursue interagency data-sharing (e.g., with DHS for citizenship verification), and enforce list maintenance.

The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces civil provisions of voting laws, while criminal prosecution for fraud or interference falls under federal statutes (e.g., via the Criminal Division or U.S. Attorneys). This includes actions against officials who obstruct proper roll cleanup.

The letter concluded:

Here is the DOJ letter: