20,000 Suspected Non-Citizen Voters Targeted by DOJ in California Election Warning
The federal letters, signed by Bilal Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, targeted a state list of 20,000 individuals and warned that counting ballots from flagged voters could lead to federal criminal charges for aiding and abetting.
Federal Letters Demand Citizenship Verification for Mail-In Ballots
The federal letters demanded that local election officials verify citizenship statuses against federal databases or separate the mail-in ballots in question. The letters detailed specific local counts pulled from the broader 20,000-person roster. A separate letter sent to Contra Costa County cited 407 probable foreign nationals on its rolls.
We received this letter 11 days before Election Day, with a deadline of 48 hours devoid of legal value,
said Dawn Kruger, a spokesperson for the Contra Costa County elections office, adding that her office continues to run elections in compliance with federal and state laws.
Trump Administration Seeks to Bar Flagged Ballots
The push follows a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration asking a federal judge to bar California from counting the mail-in ballots of the 20,000 flagged individuals.
🚨 DOJ JUST TOOK THE NONCITIZEN-VOTER FIGHT TO ALL 58 CALIFORNIA COUNTIES.And now we have names.On Friday, federal prosecutors sent letters to 57 of California's 58 counties.Why 57?Because LOS ANGELES COUNTY had already received its demand from the Department of Justice… https://t.co/lmVRkr5tTN
Essayli wrote in the letters that officials who knowingly count ballots cast by individuals identified by federal agencies as non-citizens risk becoming accomplices and aiders and abettors of a federal crime.
The DOJ previously issued an advisory to Los Angeles County and state election officials on October 16 warning of similar liabilities.
California State Officials Denounce the Directive
California Secretary of State Shirley Weber accused the administration of attempting to illegally access protected voter data and purge voter rolls, arguing that the actions undermine public trust in elections.
Counties across the state pushed back against the 48-hour timeline, noting that local offices lack the database access required to verify citizenship independently on such short notice while administering an active election.
Ninth Circuit Review Will Determine Ballot Processing
With voting under way and the midterm elections approaching, the legal battle centers on whether federal courts will halt the counting of the disputed mail-in ballots. The Ninth Circuit’s pending review of the administration’s request will determine whether local jurisdictions must separate the ballots or proceed with standard processing.