DOJ Sues California to Block Ballots From Alleged Noncitizen Voters
The United States Department of Justice filed a federal lawsuit against California on Thursday, alleging that the state has unlawfully mailed ballots to more than 20,000 noncitizens registered to vote ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, cbsnews.com reported.
Federal Lawsuit Seeks Immediate Halt to Vote Tabulation
Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the litigation demands an emergency court order to prevent the state from tabulating vote-by-mail ballots cast by individuals the federal government has flagged as likely noncitizens. Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that state-facilitated voter fraud undermines confidence in the electoral system. The legal action follows a series of escalating demands from federal authorities directed at state election officials.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter sent letters earlier in the week to officials including Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan. The correspondence included a password-protected thumb drive containing names compiled by the Department of Homeland Security and demanded a review within 48 hours to set aside ballots belonging to those whose citizenship status could not be verified.
State Officials Reject Demands and Question Methodology
California officials refused to comply with the federal directive, citing strict information security protocols and a lack of verifiable evidence. Dean Logan announced that his office would not review the materials on the USB drive because the device did not meet secure medium standards and the Department of Justice provided no underlying evidence or methodology to support its assertions. California Secretary of State Shirley Weber criticized the federal administration for pushing unsubstantiated claims and attempting to unlawfully access protected voter data.
The current legal dispute stands in stark contrast to previous federal estimates regarding noncitizen registrations. Earlier in the year, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin issued letters warning that as many as 190,000 noncitizens might be registered across California. The October lawsuit narrows that figure significantly to approximately 20,000 voters, yet offers no public explanation for the downward adjustment.
Legal scholars and state leaders have pushed back sharply against the timing and merits of the litigation. Gavin Newsom characterized the lawsuit as a desperate attempt to suppress voters just weeks before Election Day, while UCLA election law scholar Richard Hasen described the move as a publicity stunt designed to reinforce narratives of voter irregularities.
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has pursued similar actions nationwide, filing 31 lawsuits to force states to hand over unredacted voter rolls for screening against federal immigration databases. According to court records, the federal government has lost 26 of those prior cases without securing a single legal victory.
As the November 3 midterm elections approach, the federal court in California must decide whether to grant the emergency injunction halting the tabulation of the disputed ballots while litigation proceeds.
This is a sad, desperate attempt by Trump to use his politicized Justice Department to try to suppress California voters just three weeks before Election Day.Courts have made clear the federal government has no role in running state elections.We will defend free and fair… https://t.co/szA7UpePjc
Federal Reviews Identify Noncitizens on Voter Rolls
The lawsuit details that the figures were produced after U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services performed a multiagency and multilevel review matching state voter information with federal citizenship records. The administration stated that this review determined with high confidence that the matched individuals are likely noncitizens, with many addresses located within Los Angeles County. Homeland Security Investigations conducted a secondary investigation that reached the same conclusion. The Department of Justice also named Shirley Weber and Dean Logan as defendants in the filing, noting that the federal government had previously notified California months prior regarding potential noncitizen registrations.
In addition to California, prior federal estimates targeted other states, including a warning about approximately 16,000 noncitizens in Nevada. When Nevada election officials investigated 185 names provided by the Department of Homeland Security under strict secrecy regarding its methodology, every single individual was found to be a U.S. citizen. California Attorney General Rob Bonta noted on social media that every audit, count, and recount has found no evidence of widespread voter fraud across the United States, calling the administration’s last-minute demands meritless.
🚨BREAKING: The DOJ sued California for sending mail ballots to 20k people the Trump administration claims are likely noncitizens.The lawsuit comes after the DOJ threatened legal action if the state did not set aside cast ballots of those flagged until their citizenship status… pic.twitter.com/MVQmAzOdeF