The U.S. Department of Justice filed lawsuits on Monday against Wisconsin, Illinois, and Georgia, along with Washington D.C., for refusing to provide voter information requested by the Trump administration.

The action comes a week after a bipartisan Wisconsin Election Commission rejected the Justice Department's data request.

Commissioners from both Republican and Democratic parties expressed concerns last week about the request, pointing out that Wisconsin law prohibits providing voter registry information, which includes voters' names, dates of birth, residential addresses, and driver's license numbers.

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul stated that the Justice Department "should be serving the interests of the American people, not chasing conspiracy theories," adding that "as has been repeatedly demonstrated, Wisconsin elections are fair and transparent."

The Illinois State Board of Elections declined to comment, the Associated Press reported.

The Justice Department has requested voter registration lists from at least 26 states in recent months, often also asking for information on how state governments maintain their voter rolls.

With these new filings, the number of states sued by the Justice Department has increased to 20. Last week, the department filed lawsuits against Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Nevada. California, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington were also included in lawsuits.

The Justice Department stated that 10 states are in full compliance or are working towards compliance.

The Justice Department contends that state governments are violating federal law by failing to provide information on voter rolls and ineligible voters.

According to the Justice Department's complaint, it "submitted a written request to Secretary of State Raffensperger for specific election records pursuant to 52 U.S.C. § 20703, but the Secretary refused to provide the requested records."

This refusal is seen as a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1960.

Georgia election officials argued they have made significant efforts to maintain accurate voter lists and share information, and that state law prevented them from providing sensitive data.

The lawsuits have raised concerns among some Democrats and others who question how the data will be used and whether the Justice Department will protect it in compliance with privacy laws. The requested data includes names, dates of birth, residential addresses, driver's license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers.

"The law is clear: states must provide this information so that we can fulfill our duty to protect American citizens from vote dilution," said Associate Attorney General Kristen K. Clarke in a statement.

She added, "The filings today demonstrate that the Department of Justice will stand firm for the integrity and transparency of our elections, regardless of which party governs a particular state."

By Sung Ku Hong, Chief Reporter, NNP USA / Special Dispatch NNP info@newsandpost.com