Analysis Finds 40% of DOJ-Flagged California Names Missing From Voter File
UCLA analysts examine voter list
Two members of UCLA’s Voting Rights Project reviewed the 20,930 names the department asked California election officials to treat as possible illegal voters and separate their ballots on Election Day. Their findings appeared in a Saturday legal filing by the immigrant rights group CHIRLA, which is challenging the list.
The researchers found that 8,880 names—42 percent of the list—did not match anyone in California’s current voter file. They also identified at least 22 U.S. citizens, while noting that additional entries could belong to confirmed citizens.
Legal challenges and errors
Multiple judges have rejected the administration’s demand, ruling it unconstitutional and a threat to democracy. State and local officials have also said the list appears to contain errors.
Concerns about voter identification
The researchers said the administration appeared to remove voter identification numbers from the records. They described those numbers as the most crucial data point for determining whether flagged people were registered or appeared more than once on the federal list.
The plaintiffs argued that data matching could disenfranchise or deter citizens from voting, and could disproportionately affect naturalized citizens who are legally eligible. Election officials have also complained that lists arrive shortly before Election Day, leaving insufficient time for the investigations required by law before removing voters.
The Justice Department has warned California officials they could face criminal liability if noncitizens vote and has subpoenaed election offices. It argues that failing to separate the ballots also carries risks.
Dispute extends beyond California
President Donald Trump criticized the court rulings on Saturday, including one made by a judge he had nominated. His administration has also urged Washington state to remove 400 people it identifies as possible noncitizens from voter rolls. Washington election officials say that list is unreliable and includes a voter who cast ballots in the 1990s. In California, the Trump administration had objected to sharing its list, calling the request a “fishing expedition.”
Key points
- UCLA analysts found 8,880 of 20,930 flagged names were absent from California’s voter file.
- At least 22 names on the list belonged to U.S. citizens, the filing said.
- A federal judge ordered the Justice Department to stop sending demands to California officials; the administration appealed.
- Officials in Washington state also dispute the reliability of a list identifying 400 possible noncitizens.