The Trump Justice Department moved late Wednesday to punish Wisconsin for allegedly failing to comply with federal voting integrity laws, taking the first step to withhold future federal funds for administering elections.

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon formally notified the Wisconsin Election Commission that it was not in compliance with the Helping Americans Vote Act (HAVA), specifically for failing to set up a system to field and resolve voter complaints about election integrity.

"Quite surprisingly, we have learned that the Wisconsin Elections Commission has refused to provide any administrative complaint process or hearing regarding HAVA complaints against the Commission," Dhillon wrote. "Rather, Wisconsin has decided to rely on a 2022 state court case opining that the Commission cannot police itself..