The Department of Justice has sent formal warning letters to election officials in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, making it clear that knowingly keeping noncitizens on voter rolls or allowing them to receive and cast ballots in federal elections could result in criminal prosecution.

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon signed the letters sent on July 7, stating bluntly that any election officer — including a state’s chief election official — “who knowingly retains noncitizens on the state’s voter list or facilitates noncitizens in receiving and casting ballots could be subject to criminal liability.”

The DOJ emphasized that federal law requires states to maintain clean voter rolls and ensure only U.S. citizens vote in federal elections. Officials were given just five days to explain how they plan to comply and how the department can assist in those efforts.

This strong warning comes after the DOJ’s previous requests for detailed voter data from states were met with resistance and court pushback in several jurisdictions. Some states, including Utah, have openly defied the requests, prompting sharp criticism from officials who called the move “bizarre behavior” by the federal government.

Dhillon made clear the priority: “It’s also important to make sure that our voting is accurate so that every citizen who votes has their vote counted equally without being canceled out by somebody who shouldn’t be voting.”

The letters mark a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s push to protect election integrity. While some Democrat-led states have dismissed the warnings as political intimidation, the DOJ is sending a direct message: negligence or willful blindness regarding noncitizen voting will no longer be tolerated, and those in charge can be held personally accountable under federal law.