The Trump administration filed a lawsuit against six states on Thursday, following the Justice Department’s accusation that they had failed to comply with federal law by refusing to turn over voter registration records. 

The Justice Department says that the states have not provided the requested documentation to show that they maintain clean and accurate voter rolls. The lawsuits target Michigan, California, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Minnesota, and New York.

“Clean voter rolls are the foundation of free and fair elections,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi. “Every state has a responsibility to ensure that voter registration records are accurate, accessible, and secure — states that don’t fulfill that obligation will see this Department of Justice in court.”

The lawsuits allege that the states have violated provisions of the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act, which give the attorney general the authority to inspect states’ voter rolls. As part of the suit, the Justice Department wants records that would include a voter’s driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number. 

“States are required to safeguard American elections by complying with our federal elections laws,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Clean voter rolls protect American citizens from voting fraud and abuse, and restore their confidence that their states’ elections are conducted properly, with integrity, and in compliance with the law.”

Michigan Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson responded to the suit by stating that state law prohibits her from disclosing personally identifiable information to the federal government.

“States can and must hold the line. Only state and local election officials – not the president, the DOJ, or any other federal agency – have the right to people’s private voter information. The people of Michigan have entrusted this department with their personal data, and I will stand up to this illegal and unconstitutional power grab,” she said. 

The other defendant states have made similar arguments, objecting to the release of their residents’ identifying information.

Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters said that the suit would be “an important step toward restoring confidence in our elections.”

“Voters deserve to know that their states are removing ineligible individuals — including the deceased, criminals, out-of-state movers, and non-citizens — from the rolls,” he said.