More Than 20,000 California Ballots Stay in Play as Judge Rejects Trump Officials’ Bid to Set Them Aside

Judge rejects ballot separation request

Judge Carter ruled Wednesday against the Justice Department’s effort to require California election officials to set aside mail ballots associated with roughly 20,000 people the government alleges are noncitizens. Carter said the request conflicted with constitutional principles that give states authority to administer elections. He warned that granting the relief could allow either party to disrupt election processes for political purposes. He also questioned the government’s list and its method for checking citizenship, calling the methodology vague and saying he could not find the process credible.

Concerns over citizenship list

The department argued that California’s refusal to separate the ballots could dilute Americans’ votes and undermine congressional efforts to protect election integrity. Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, said public confidence in elections was at stake.

California officials described the lawsuit as a reckless political stunt intended to cast doubt on election results. Deputy Attorney General Anne Bellows said the proposed order would be highly disruptive and risk disenfranchising voters.

Appeal and county logistics

The ruling followed a Justice Department request filed Friday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, seeking an order requiring election workers to separate ballots from people on the government’s list.

Los Angeles County lawyers said workers could not feasibly identify and separate the ballots by the end of the election period. They said staff would have to examine ballot envelopes by hand.