Judicial Watch Threatens to Sue 11 States Over Voter Rolls

The government watchdog group Judicial Watch has informed 11 states that if they don’t provide proof of “clean voter rolls” within 90 days, it will sue them for breach of the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act.

Specifically, the organization notes there are more registered voters in each of the following counties in those states than adult citizens who would otherwise be eligible to vote, according to the U.S. Census Bureau:

• Alabama: Choctaw, Conecuh, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Perry, Washington, Wilcox
• Florida: Clay, Flagler, Okaloosa, Osceola, Santa Rosa, St. Johns
• Georgia: Bryan, Columbia, DeKalb, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Lee, Marion, McIntosh, Oconee
• Illinois: Alexander, Bureau, Cass, Clark, Crawford, DuPage, Franklin, Grundy, Hardin, Henderson, Jefferson, Jersey, Massac, McHenry, Mercer, Monroe, Pulaski, Rock Island, Sangamon, Scott, Union, Wabash, Washington, White
• Iowa: Scott, Johnson
• Kentucky: Anderson, Bath, Boone, Breathitt, Caldwell, Carlisle, Cumberland, Fulton, Gallatin, Greenup, Hancock, Henry, Jefferson, Jessamine, Kenton, Livingston, Magoffin, McCracken, Menifee, Mercer, Monroe, Oldham, Powell, Russell, Scott, Spencer, Trigg, Trimble, Wolfe, Woodford
• Maryland: Montgomery
• New Jersey: Essex, Somerset
• New York: Nassau
• North Carolina: Buncombe, Camden, Chatham, Cherokee, Clay, Dare, Durham, Guilford, Madison, Mecklenburg, New Hanover, Orange, Union, Watauga, Yancey
• Tennessee: Williamson

In a letter sent to each state, Judicial Watch notes this is “strong circumstantial evidence that these … counties are not conducting reasonable voter registration record maintenance as mandated under the [National Voter Registration Act].” It issued the following statement regarding the red flags:

Both the NVRA and the federal Help America Vote Act require states to take reasonable steps to maintain accurate voting rolls.

The 11 states are: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina and Tennessee. The states have 90 days after receiving the letters to address the problem and provide Judicial Watch documentation showing that they have conducted a “statewide effort to conduct a program that reasonably ensures the lists of eligible voters are accurate.” Judicial Watch informed the states that should they fail to take action to correct violations of Section 8 of the NVRA, it would file suit.

Section 8 of the National Voter Registration Act requires states to make a reasonable effort to remove the names of ineligible voters from official lists due to “the death of the registrant” or “a change in the residence of the registrant,” and requires states to ensure noncitizens are not registered to vote …

In its notice-of-violation letters, Judicial Watch warns that the failure to maintain accurate, up-to-date voter registration lists “required by federal law and by the expectations of [state] citizens” will “undermine public confidence in the electoral process.”

“Dirty election rolls can mean dirty elections,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said. “These 11 states face possible Judicial Watch lawsuits unless they follow the law and take reasonable steps to clean up their voting rolls of dead, moved, and non-citizen voters.”

Through Robert Popper, director of its Election Integrity Project, Judicial Watch has already successfully pushed Indiana and Ohio to clean up their respective voter rolls. Popper was formerly Deputy Chief of the Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department. {eoa}