GOP Attorney Sues California, DMV For Alleged Violations With 'Motor Voter' Program
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS / AP) — A Republican lawyer who has waged lawsuits on behalf of the Trump administration is suing California and its Department of Motor Vehicles, saying the agency is failing to verify citizenship for voter registration.
A federal lawsuit filed Tuesday by attorney Harmeet Dhillon comes after a state audit found the California DMV's "motor voter" program that started in 2018 was riddled with technical problems that led to discrepancies in voter registrations.
The lawsuit alleges that California Secretary of State Alex Padilla and the director of California's DMV, Steve Gordon, have violated the National Voter Registration Act and that Padilla has "forsaken his duty to ensure that non-citizens" are kept off voter rolls.
"California refuses to use the data in its possession, to determine citizenship eligibility, which is a prerequisite to vote in all federal elections," Dhillon said at a news conference on Tuesday. "This is a nonpartisan issue, we believe it affects people across the board, and it's important that our rolls be accurate."
Dhillon, a Republican National Committee member, filed the lawsuit on behalf of three California residents, all Republican voters.
© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
