DOJ warns of criminal charges for state election officials if noncitizens vote

Vote WatchDOJ threatens criminal charges for state election officials over noncitizen votingPresident Donald Trump and his administration have falsely claimed that noncitizen voting is a widespread problem plaguing U.S. elections.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Harmeet Dhillon at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C. Andrew Harnik / Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJuly 8, 2026, 12:14 AM EDTBy Michael Kosnar and Kyla GuilfoilThe Justice Department sent letters warning election officials in all 50 states and the District of Columbia that they could face criminal prosecution over noncitizen voting, a spokesperson for the Justice Department confirmed Tuesday.Subscribe to read this story ad-freeGet unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The letters, signed by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who heads up the department’s Civil Rights Division, give states five days to explain how they will comply with federal voter eligibility laws and how they will maintain “clean voter lists.”“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,” a Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement.Noncitizen voting in federal elections is extremely rare, but Trump and his administration have falsely portrayed it as a widespread issue.Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar and Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson are among those who said they received the letters from the Justice Department.The letters say state election officers “could be criminally prosecuted for aiding and abetting” noncitizen voting. They further specify that any election officer who knowingly retains noncitizens on a statewide voting registration list or who facilitates noncitizens’ receiving and casting ballots could be subject to crim...