Illinois Voter Roll Maintenance Challenge

Lawsuit filed by Judicial Watch, Illinois Family Action, Breakthrough Ideas and an Illinois voter against the Illinois State Board of Elections and its executive director. The plaintiffs argue that the board failed to provide a statewide program to assess and cancel the registrations of ineligible voters due to a change in residency, which they claim has led to abnormally low numbers of ineligible registration removals across several counties. The plaintiffs also claim that the board failed to provide Judicial Watch with all relevant voter registration records and data when requested. The plaintiffs argue the board’s lack of action to remove ineligible voter registrations from county records, as well as the inability to provide voter registration records and data at the plaintiffs’ request, violates Section 8 of the National Voter Registration Act. They ask the court to require the state to develop and implement a program to remove ineligible registrants from voter rolls.

On Oct. 28, 2024, the district court partially granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss. Count I of the plaintiffs’ complaint regarding Illinois’ voter roll maintenance practices is dismissed. Litigation is ongoing for the remaining count on voter roll records access. On November 29, 2024, plaintiffs filed an amended complaint. Two motions are in progress before the district court.

On July 30, 2025, the district court partially granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss. The court dismissed plaintiffs’ Count II claim regarding the state’s alleged failure to make voter roll maintenance records available to Judicial Watch. Count I will move forward for Illinois Family Action and Breakthrough Ideas, but Judicial Watch’s Count I claim was dismissed for lack of standing.

STATUS: On Sept. 23, 2025, the district court dismissed a claim alleging that the Illinois State Board of Elections failed to comply with the NVRA by not making voter list maintenance records available. The court also dismissed Judicial Watch from the lawsuit for lack of standing. As a result, the only remaining claim is that the Board failed to meet its NVRA obligation to reasonably remove voters who have become ineligible due to a change of residence.

Last updated: September 23, 2025 10:32 am EST