Illinois' political landscape will undergo major changes through the 2026 election cycle, with several rarely-open seats in Congress up for grabs and Governor JB Pritzker seeking an unprecedented third term.

SPRINGFIELD - The Justice Department has asked a federal judge to force Illinois state election officials to turn over full copies of the state's list of registered voters.

The U.S. Justice Department has sued three states, including Illinois and Wisconsin, and D.C. for not turning over requested voter information to the Trump administration.

Illinois was one of four government bodies sued by the U.S. Justice Department for unredacted copies of voter rolls. Also sued were the states of Wisconsin and Georgia and Washington, D.C.

The DOJ's Illinois election lawsuit aims to access unredacted voter registration data to uphold federal laws on election integrity.

The Justice Department says it's about preventing "vote dilution," but privacy advocates argue the effort could eventually be used to disenfranchise people.

The DOJ's lawsuit against Illinois is the 22nd of similar litigation that the Trump administration has launched to gain access to voter registration data, as part of efforts to root out illegal voting.

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