Justice Department launches probe into Utah lieutenant governor over voter data refusal

The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division has opened an investigation into Utah Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson after she declined to supply voter-registration files to federal authorities. The agency’s letter cited possible violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1960, the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act, and warned that failure to preserve relevant documents could be deemed spoliation, exposing her to civil or criminal sanctions.

Henderson responded on social media, questioning the DOJ’s motives and urging the agency to address substantive issues rather than “baselessly harassing” election officials. The DOJ had previously threatened prosecution in July for the same refusal. Courts have repeatedly dismissed federal attempts to obtain such data from Utah and other states, rejecting more than twenty lawsuits. Henderson’s office maintains that neither state nor federal law authorizes the DOJ to collect private voter information.