DOJ’s Dhillon Details How Much Of A ‘Mess’ Voter Rolls Are

A top official in President Donald J. Trump’s administration is sounding the alarm over what she describes as widespread irregularities in America’s voter rolls—raising fresh concerns about election integrity as Republicans push major reforms in Washington.

Speaking on “Sunday Morning Futures” with Maria Bartiromo, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon revealed that federal reviews of voter registration data have uncovered troubling findings, including large numbers of deceased individuals and noncitizens listed as active voters.

The Department of Justice, under President Trump’s leadership, has launched lawsuits against multiple states accused of refusing to provide voter roll data, a move officials say is necessary to enforce federal election laws such as the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act. According to Dhillon, even states attempting compliance have revealed serious gaps in maintaining accurate voter lists.

“States are not in compliance, even those ones who want to. So, for the ones that we’ve run so far — 60 million records that we’ve run — we found at least 350,000 dead people currently on the voter rolls in those jurisdictions, and we’ve referred approximately 25,000 people with no citizenship records to [the Department of] Homeland Security to look at, you know, dig into that further and see the extent to which people voted,” Dhillon told Bartiromo.

Dhillon pushed back against longstanding claims from the Left that such issues are nonexistent.

“I’m in touch with voting rights activists who are showing me information about people who have voted who are not American citizens. So the Left told us this never happens and it’s a myth, it definitely happened,” Dhillon.

She pointed to a recent case in Minnesota as further evidence that vulnerabilities in the system are being exploited.

“Just recently, someone was indicted in Minnesota, of all places, for voting without being a citizen, and so I’ve sent a document request to them on that,” Dhillon continued. “Minnesota has a weird vouching law that allows citizens to vouch for each other’s citizenship. That’s crazy and inconsistent with the Help America Vote Act and we’re not going to rest until we complete this project.”

Dhillon also underscored that, despite clear authority granted under the Civil Rights Act of 1960, several states have refused to turn over voter roll data to federal authorities.

“I’m suing 29 states and the District of Columbia for their refusal to give us the voter rolls to which the attorney general or the acting attorney general is entitled under the Civil Rights Act of 1960,” Dhillon told Bartiromo, noting that some lower courts have sided against the administration.

“We’re expediting the appeals in these cases,” Dhillon said. “There’ll be an appeal in the Ninth Circuit [Court of Appeals] and the Sixth Circuit soon.”

The revelations come as Republicans in the U.S. Senate move aggressively to advance election reform legislation. Lawmakers recently pushed forward the SAVE America Act, a bill designed to strengthen safeguards around federal elections.

The Senate voted 51–48 to advance the measure, clearing a key procedural hurdle and setting the stage for formal debate. The legislation, strongly backed by President Trump, would require proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration, tighten identification requirements, and expand federal oversight of voter roll maintenance.

Supporters argue the bill is essential to restoring trust in elections and ensuring that only eligible American citizens cast ballots—an issue that has become central to the Trump administration’s second-term agenda.

Despite momentum among Republicans, the bill faces an uphill battle. Current Senate rules require 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, meaning bipartisan support would likely be necessary unless procedural changes are pursued.

GOP leaders have signaled they are prepared for a prolonged floor fight, aiming to force lawmakers on both sides to go on record regarding election integrity—an issue that continues to resonate with millions of Americans concerned about the security of the nation’s democratic process.