DOJ orders California counties to set aside ballots tied to suspected noncitizens
Federal letters target counties
Letters sent Friday ask county registrars to provide identifying information about voters whom the Justice Department suspects are noncitizens. The department also wants officials to sequester ballots when citizenship cannot be verified.
At least 18 counties have received the letters, according to the Los Angeles County registrar's office. The counties have 48 hours to respond with information including Social Security numbers, identification details and voter registration records.
A letter to San Bernardino County officials said the government’s list includes 1,133 people from that county. The department says the requested information would help federal and state officials assess each person’s case.
Legal fight escalates
The demands add to a dispute between California and the Trump administration over efforts to investigate suspected noncitizen voting before the midterm elections. Earlier this month, the federal government sued Los Angeles County and the California Secretary of State’s office, seeking to stop them from counting ballots associated with roughly 20,000 people described as likely noncitizen voters.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli warned that election officials could face legal jeopardy if they knowingly process ballots from noncitizens.
California officials object
The California secretary of state and Los Angeles County registrar oppose the federal requests. In court filings, state lawyers argue that the demands could delay certification and weaken confidence in the November midterms.
They also say the government’s data is unreliable and that acting on it could disenfranchise citizens. Voting is underway, and California’s more than 23 million registered voters received mail ballots earlier this month.
Recent charges in California
The letters followed a statewide federal enforcement operation earlier in the week. Authorities charged 28 people from the list of 20,000 with illegally registering to vote; some also face charges of illegally voting and lying on naturalization paperwork.
The charges could carry years in prison. The article does not say how many of the 28 were among the people listed in the county letters.
Key points
- At least 18 California counties received DOJ letters demanding voter information and ballot set-asides.
- Counties have 48 hours to provide records and sequester ballots when citizenship cannot be verified.
- California officials say the demands could delay certification and risk disenfranchising citizens.
- Federal authorities charged 28 people in a statewide operation tied to the list of 20,000.