Justice Department Files Statement of Interest in Judicial Watch’s Lawsuit to Compel Oregon to Clean Voter Rolls

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that the U.S. Department of Justice filed a statement of interest in Judicial Watch’s lawsuit that calls on Oregon’s secretary of state to make “a reasonable effort to remove” the registrations of ineligible registrants from the voter rolls as required by federal law (Judicial Watch, et al. v. The State of Oregon et al. (No. 6:24-cv-01783)). U.S. District Court Judge Michael J. McShane set a hearing in the case for June 18 at 10:00 a.m.

The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) requires states to “conduct a general program that makes a reasonable effort to remove” from the official voter rolls “the names of ineligible voters” who have died or changed residence. The law requires registrations to be cancelled when voters fail to respond to address confirmation notices and then fail to vote in the next two general federal elections. Judicial Watch’s lawsuit alleges Oregon’s voting rolls are among the worst maintained in the nation.

In a Justice Department press release Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon said: “Accurate voter registration rolls are critical to ensure that elections in Oregon are conducted fairly, accurately, and without fraud…. States have specific obligations under the list maintenance provisions of the NVRA, and the Department of Justice will vigorously enforce those requirements.”

Judicial Watch’s lawsuit pointed out that the federal “NVRA supersedes and preempts any Oregon law or practice” that claimed to limit or delegate the state’s obligations under federal law. The Justice Department’s statement of interest explains, “This case presents important questions regarding enforcement of the National Voter Registration Act,” adding, “Congress has vested the Attorney General with authority to enforce the NVRA on behalf of the United States.” The statement takes the same position as Judicial Watch when it argues that “[b]y its plain terms, the NVRA identifies one entity, the state, that is required to carry out obligations for voter registration administration[.]” The Justice Department focuses on the state’s obligation to make voter registration lists available to Judicial Watch and the public, as federal law requires.

Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit in October 2024 to enforce basic voter list maintenance provisions under Section 8 of the NVRA after uncovering a broad failure to clean up voter rolls in dozens of Oregon counties.

In 2018, the Supreme Court confirmed that such removals are mandatory.

In its complaint, Judicial Watch argues that Oregon’s voter rolls contain large numbers of old, inactive registrations; and that 29 of Oregon’s 36 counties removed few or no registrations as required by federal election law. Judicial Watch asserts that Oregon and 35 of its counties had overall registration rates exceeding 100%; and that Oregon has the highest known inactive registration rate of any state in the nation. In combination, all of these facts show that Oregon is failing to remove inactive registrations pursuant to Section 8(d)(1)(B) of the NVRA. The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oregon, Eugene Division, to compel the defendants to comply with their voter list maintenance obligations under Section 8 of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA).

In April 2025, Judicial Watch announced that its analysis and use of voter registration lists has led to lawsuits and legal actions under the NVRA that have resulted in the removal of five million names from voter rolls in nearly a dozen states and localities over the last several years.

“We applaud the Trump Justice Department’s decision to join our effort to expose dirty voter rolls in Oregon. Judicial Watch, for years, has done the heavy lifting alone!” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

Judicial Watch is a national leader in voting integrity and voting rights. As part of its work, Judicial Watch assembled a team of highly experienced voting rights attorneys who stopped discriminatory elections in Hawaii, and cleaned up voter rolls across the country, among other achievements.

Robert Popper, a Judicial Watch senior attorney, leads its election law program. Popper was previously in the Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department, where he managed voting rights investigations, litigations, consent decrees, and settlements in dozens of states.

In March 2025, Judicial Watch sent a notice letter to Lt. Governor Deidre M. Henderson, notifying her that Utah is currently in violation of the NVRA’s public disclosure requirements. The notice letter warns of a lawsuit after 90 days if the issues are not resolved.

In May 2024, Judicial Watch sued California to clean up its voter rolls. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Judicial Watch and the Libertarian Party of California, similarly asks the court to compel California to make “a reasonable effort” to remove ineligible registrants from the rolls as required by federal law.

In July 2024, Judicial Watch asked a federal court to reject the State of Illinois’ motion to dismiss Judicial Watch’s lawsuit to compel the state to clean up its voter rolls. The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, on behalf of Judicial Watch, the nonprofit organizations Illinois Family Action and Breakthrough Ideas, and Carol J. Davis, a lawfully registered Illinois voter.

Judicial Watch is being assisted by Stephen Joncus of Joncus Law PC in Happy Valley, Oregon.

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