The Justice Department’s drive to bolster election integrity has yielded no findings, even as it overlooks the top fears voters voice about electoral processes.
On Wednesday, the Department of Justice announced that it would be observing polling locations in Pawtucket, Rhode Island—the final stop on an 11-state circuit intended to safeguard ballot integrity, promote transparency in voting, and ensure compliance with federal law.
Despite months spent scrutinizing the voting process across 11 states and hundreds of polling sites, the department has not produced evidence supporting President Donald Trump’s dubious claim of widespread voter fraud in American elections. Yet the Trump administration shows no signs of halting its meddling. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon stated that the department would “continue this work through the midterm general elections to assure the American public of the fairness and security of the voting process.”
Voters are indeed anxious about political pressure in elections, but the DOJ’s aggressive campaign against alleged voter fraud does not align with those public concerns.
In a July Gallup poll focusing on election worries ahead of the midterms, 53 percent of Americans said they were concerned about ineligible voters casting ballots, while 67 percent expressed worry about political leaders pressuring election officials to tilt outcomes.
If the Justice Department were truly committed to election integrity, Dhillon would presumably turn a closer eye toward the president—a political leader who has already sparked fear by attempting to pressure officials to overturn the 2020 election.
Instead, the department has pursued lawsuits against 30 states and Washington, D.C., seeking access to their complete voter registration rosters, including driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers. With 23 of these lawsuits having been dropped, the effort has largely fallen short. Nevertheless, the department continues to request voter data from 48 states and the District of Columbia, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
The DOJ is only one branch of the federal law-enforcement apparatus deployed against voters. As part of Trump’s executive order on election integrity—which directs federal agencies to compile a list of federally verified voters in each state—the department will share any voter information it obtains with the Department of Homeland Security to assist immigration enforcement actions. In a separate report, CNN indicated that Homeland Security Investigations—an arm of Immigration and Customs Enforcement—planned to launch a “coordinated criminal voter fraud surge initiative” to pursue leads, conduct field interviews, and support timely prosecutorial review.
There is scant evidence of nationwide voter fraud. An examination of cases over the past three decades by Reuters found only 73 convictions for noncitizen voting in the United States, a figure far from justifying a nationwide, federally driven roadshow to lean on state and local election officials.
The Constitution entrusts the states with the power to regulate and run elections, including overseeing voting, safeguarding voters, and preventing fraud and corrupt practices. Given the relatively low incidence of voter fraud, states are performing this duty effectively. There is no justification for a federal role that resembles paternalism and serves only to bolster the president’s ego.
