The Justice Department has sent letters to election officials in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, warning them that they could face criminal prosecution if they knowingly allow noncitizens to vote in federal elections or fail to comply with federal voter registration laws.

The letters, signed by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the department's Civil Rights Division, give states five days to explain how they will comply with federal voter eligibility requirements and maintain what the department called "clean voter lists," NBC News reported Wednesday.

"The Department sent these letters to all 50 states and the District of Columbia, asking for voluntary compliance in a timely manner with their obligations under federal law to ensure only citizens vote in federal elections," a Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement.

According to the letters, election officials "could be criminally prosecuted for aiding and abetting" noncitizen voting. The department said officials who knowingly keep noncitizens on statewide voter registration lists or facilitate noncitizens receiving or casting ballots could face criminal liability.

"An intentional act that is aimed at diluting the votes of citizens could also constitute a violation" of federal law, the letters state.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar, and Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson said they received the letters.

Henderson criticized the move in a post on social media.

"Got another love letter this morning from the DOJ sprinkled throughout with threats of criminal prosecution," Henderson wrote. "I'm sure I'm not the only chief election officer of a state who is being targeted for following state and federal laws by resisting DOJ's demands for private voter data that have thus far been ruled illegal by at least a dozen courts."

The letters are the latest step in the Justice Department's effort to enforce federal election laws and obtain voter registration information from the states.

The department has filed lawsuits against 30 states and the District of Columbia seeking access to voter roll data after some states declined to provide the information voluntarily. According to the report, multiple federal courts have dismissed those lawsuits.