DOJ demands California counties set aside and verify alleged noncitizen ballots within 48 hours

County officials receive federal letters

Federal prosecutors sent letters to county registrars on Friday, asking them to identify and set aside ballots the Justice Department says may belong to noncitizens. The Los Angeles County registrar’s office said at least 18 counties received similar requests.

The counties have 48 hours to submit information tied to ballots the government believes were sent to people who registered illegally. Officials are also asked to sequester ballots when citizenship cannot be verified.

The requested records include Social Security numbers, identification details and voter registration copies. A letter sent to San Bernardino County officials said the government’s list includes 1,133 people from that county.

Earlier lawsuit targets L.A. County

Earlier this month, the federal government sued Los Angeles County and the California Secretary of State’s office. The lawsuit seeks to prevent them from counting votes from more than 20,000 people whom the government alleges are “likely” noncitizen voters.

A hearing in the case is scheduled for Tuesday. The new letters extend the federal effort to county officials across California.

Ballots already being counted

California’s more than 23 million registered voters began receiving mail ballots earlier this month, and voting is underway. In legal filings, the state said more than 330,000 mail-in ballots had already been counted. The Justice Department says the information requested from counties could help assess people it suspects registered illegally.