LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Potential criminal charges against Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson are looming after a letter from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) warned that states cannot knowingly leave noncitizens on voter rolls for upcoming elections.

DOJ Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon sent a letter to Benson last week. It outlines the consequences of failing to comply with federal voting laws regarding noncitizen voting. The letter cites “potential criminal penalties for those who fail to carry out their duties.” It also states, “We encourage you to contact us to discuss what steps your state should take to maintain clean voter lists as required by law.”

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In a video, Dhillon stressed that no state is being singled out.

Benson, who is running in the Democratic primary for governor while overseeing Michigan’s elections as secretary of state, has repeatedly clashed with federal and state officials over issues including voter roll maintenance, requests for election training materials, and efforts to prevent noncitizens from voting.

The letter follows a DOJ announcement that it is deploying election monitors to Lansing, East Lansing, and Detroit.

However, Benson’s office is pushing back against the DOJ.

“Michigan has one of the most effective voter list maintenance processes in the nation, going above and beyond the NVRA standard,” spokeswoman Angela Benander said in a statement to the media. “We’ve also been clear that we have to do this work carefully, in accordance with state and federal law, to ensure no voter is disenfranchised.”

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Benander also said Benson’s Department of State has been transparent with the DOJ about its efforts to strengthen election integrity.