The Department of Justice is swinging a legal hammer at states across the political spectrum to clean up voter rolls before the 2026 midterm elections.

Just The News reported that this bold move, led by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division, aims to ensure that only eligible voters remain registered as congressional elections loom next year.

For hardworking taxpayers, especially those in states like Georgia and Illinois facing lawsuits, this could mean a hefty financial burden as legal battles rack up compliance costs and drain public resources.

From a conservative standpoint, it’s about time the federal government cracked down on sloppy voter lists, but states resisting should brace for the legal exposure that comes with defying federal law. No one gets a free pass when election integrity is on the line.

DOJ Lawsuits Hit Red and Blue States

Under Dhillon’s leadership, the DOJ has launched lawsuits against 22 states for failing to provide voter registration data, a critical step in purging ineligible names from the rolls.

Some states, like Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee, recently agreed to hand over their lists, bringing the total number of complying states to 10, per the DOJ’s latest count.

Others, including Georgia, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C., were specifically named in lawsuits announced on Thursday for stonewalling requests, often hiding behind privacy concerns that don’t hold much water under federal scrutiny.

The DOJ is leaning on heavy hitters like the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, the Help America Vote Act of 2002, and the Civil Rights Act of 1960 to enforce its demands.

In Georgia, the DOJ didn’t just ask nicely—they’ve demanded Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger produce all voter data within five days of a court ruling, citing federal authority under the Civil Rights Act.

Raffensperger, however, seems to think he’s above the fray, claiming, “Georgia has the cleanest voter rolls in the country,” while touting state laws on privacy—nice try, but federal election law doesn’t play second fiddle to state excuses.

Georgia’s Defiance Under the Spotlight

Earlier this month, the DOJ also called out Fulton County Clerk of Court Che Alexander for failing to turn over voter rolls, though the office dodged comment on the pending litigation.

Dhillon isn’t mincing words about Georgia’s resistance, stating, “I don’t think the average Georgia voter thinks it’s a great idea to get into a beef with the federal government over this issue.” She’s spot on—why pick a losing fight when election integrity is at stake?

Some states are getting the message, with six voluntarily sharing data and others using federal tools to scrub deceased voters and non-citizens from their lists now that certain fees have been lifted.

Dhillon noted, “For the rest of this administration, we’re going to be supporting states cleaning their voter rolls as required by federal law, and we’re just getting started.” That’s a promise conservatives can cheer—a federal push to stop voter fraud before it starts.

Yet, for states still dragging their feet with flimsy privacy claims, it’s a risky game of chicken with the DOJ, and one that could cost them in court while undermining trust in our elections.