Democrats sue Trump administration over alleged election crimes following a ‘stream of threats and intimidation’

Democratic groups have sued the Trump administration, accusing federal officials of using unsubstantiated voter fraud claims to interfere with how states conduct elections, according to Axios. The lawsuit asks a judge to declare the administration’s actions unlawful and prevent further attempts to influence state election procedures.

The groups argue that the administration has allegedly used threats of prosecution and possible jail time to pressure election officials into following federal demands. They say the actions could intimidate both officials and eligible voters, particularly as federal agencies push states to investigate people flagged on government lists of suspected noncitizens.

The case names President Donald Trump, the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and their respective leaders as defendants. The plaintiffs include Democratic organizations, among them the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, along with Democratic leaders and a voter.

Voter fraud might not really be an issue here

At the center of the dispute are federal lists identifying people suspected of being ineligible to vote because they may not be U.S. citizens. The lawsuit says the administration has asked states to check these lists and block registered voters flagged by federal officials from voting.

The complaint points to a DHS claim that nearly 16,000 noncitizens appeared on Nevada’s voter rolls. The department later claimed it had confirmed that 185 people were noncitizens, but state records subsequently indicated that all 185 were citizens.

California is another focus of the case. The plaintiffs say the DOJ reportedly demanded that the state deny ballots to more than 20,000 people identified on a federal list of suspected ineligible voters. A preliminary investigation by Los Angeles County investigators found that more than a quarter of those flagged listed a U.S. birthplace, while others had already had their voter registrations canceled. Earlier, several foreign nationals were charged in California for alleged election-related crimes.

“Department of Justice and DHS officials have sought to bolster their interference efforts through a persistent stream of threats and intimidation directed towards state and local election officials across the country,” the groups’ attorneys wrote. They argue that this violates Section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits intimidation, threats, or coercion intended to interfere with voting.

The DOJ defended its actions in a statement, saying that enforcing federal election law and protecting election integrity remain priorities. “Ensuring that only eligible citizens vote and that every lawful ballot is counted is a requirement of federal law,” said a DOJ spokesperson.

Officials also argued that California should independently verify the citizenship of people on the federal list, accusing the state of refusing to investigate potential cases of noncitizen registration. A White House spokesperson similarly defended the administration, saying it was taking lawful steps to protect elections, strengthen election security, and prevent fraud and coercion.

The lawsuit further argues that the president lacks constitutional authority to determine voter eligibility or dictate how states count ballots. It also comes amid longstanding findings from investigations that have found no evidence of widespread voter fraud in U.S. elections, while research has found that noncitizen voting is rare.