DOJ’s Harmeet Dhillon: Some states have ‘homework to do’ to keep noncitizens from voting in midterm elections
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said Wednesday that some state election officials have “homework to do” ahead of the 2026 midterm elections as the Trump administration pushes states to strengthen voter roll maintenance and comply with federal election law. In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Dhillon discussed two separate election initiatives announced […]
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said Wednesday that some state election officials have “homework to do” ahead of the 2026 midterm elections as the Trump administration pushes states to strengthen voter roll maintenance and comply with federal election law.
In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Dhillon discussed two separate election initiatives announced by the Justice Department this week. The Civil Rights Division sent letters to election officials in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., warning that officials who knowingly allow noncitizens to remain on voter rolls or cast ballots could face criminal liability.
” data-large-file=”https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/dojs-harmeet-dhillon-some-states-have-homework-to-do-to-keep-noncitizens-from-voting-in-midterm-elections.webp” src=”https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/dojs-harmeet-dhillon-some-states-have-homework-to-do-to-keep-noncitizens-from-voting-in-midterm-elections.webp” alt=”Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon speaks during a news conference on charges related to the deadly shooting of Israeli Embassy staff during a news conference at the Attorney General’s office for the District of Columbia in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025.” class=”wp-image-3497310″ srcset=”https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/dojs-harmeet-dhillon-some-states-have-homework-to-do-to-keep-noncitizens-from-voting-in-midterm-elections-1.webp 1024w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/dojs-harmeet-dhillon-some-states-have-homework-to-do-to-keep-noncitizens-from-voting-in-midterm-elections-1.webp?resize=300,200 300w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/dojs-harmeet-dhillon-some-states-have-homework-to-do-to-keep-noncitizens-from-voting-in-midterm-elections-1.webp?resize=768,512 768w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/dojs-harmeet-dhillon-some-states-have-homework-to-do-to-keep-noncitizens-from-voting-in-midterm-elections-1.webp?resize=150,100 150w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/dojs-harmeet-dhillon-some-states-have-homework-to-do-to-keep-noncitizens-from-voting-in-midterm-elections-1.webp?resize=696,464 696w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”>Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon speaks during a news conference in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
“This was sent to the election officials of every state,” Dhillon said of the warning letters. “Some of them have homework to do.”
The letters remind election officials of their obligations under federal law to maintain accurate voter registration lists and encourage states to work with the DOJ to ensure compliance.
“We encourage you to contact us to discuss what steps your state should take to maintain clean voter lists as required by law,” Dhillon wrote in the letters.
Dhillon told the Washington Examiner that states reaching out to the department can expect legal guidance and technical assistance tailored to their questions.
“If they asked me for some technical assistance, we would endeavor to provide it and provide the resources and support needed,” she said. “If they asked me for legal guidance on whether a certain practice is permissible or otherwise, we would provide it.”
She said the DOJ wants states to make use of available resources to identify ineligible registrants and ensure voter rolls remain accurate.
“The big picture I would tell the state is, first of all, are you cooperating with the Department of Justice and independently availing yourself of the right to run your voter list through the same database and clean up your voter rolls?” Dhillon said.
Separately, the department announced it will send federal election monitors to 15 jurisdictions across six states during this year’s primary elections.
According to Dhillon, the Department of Homeland Security also plays a role by identifying noncitizens whose records can be compared with voter registration lists. She stressed that the warning letters concern officials who knowingly fail to act, not administrative mistakes.
“Mistakes happen. People lie,” Dhillon said. “But there are instances where the state is aware … and they do nothing to compare that and ensure that that person isn’t registered to vote.”
Dhillon pointed to a recently announced Louisiana case involving an Australian national accused of voting in multiple U.S. elections and said the department has secured convictions involving noncitizen voting since President Donald Trump returned to office, though she declined to discuss ongoing investigations.
“It is a significant problem because every American’s vote is precious,” she said. “Every American’s vote that is canceled out by the vote of a noncitizen voting is a problem.”
She noted that the department deployed election monitors to nine jurisdictions during the 2022 primary elections and 27 jurisdictions during the 2024 primaries. This year, the department has said monitors will observe polling places in Arizona, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Virginia, focusing on issues such as language assistance, accessibility for disabled voters, and compliance with federal voting laws.
The department’s letter blitz comes as the DOJ continues separate litigation seeking statewide voter registration records from dozens of states. Several federal courts have rejected those requests, ruling the DOJ sought information beyond what federal law requires states to provide. Dhillon said that separate litigation might ultimately be for the Supreme Court to decide at a later time.
Some election officials have criticized this week’s letters. Arizona Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said the suggestion that Arizona officials are failing to enforce election laws “is simply not supported by the facts,” while Utah Republican Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson accused the department of targeting states that have resisted DOJ requests for voter registration data, sarcastically referring to it as a “love letter” from the department.
Dhillon rejected the idea that the department was singling out any one state, saying the letters were sent nationwide as a reminder of every state’s legal responsibilities before the election cycle.
“I just want every citizen at the end of the day, and that includes the Stacey Abrams and the Hillary Clinton election deniers of the world, to accept the outcome of our elections because they have been run cleanly,” Dhillon said. “We’re not here for any particular candidate or outcome. We’re here to make sure that when the primary is done, people accept the outcome because it was done correctly.”
