California officials say DOJ's list of 20,000 "likely" noncitizen voters is deeply unreliable
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Los Angeles County officials found that a substantial share of a DOJ-provided list of alleged noncitizen voters were born in the United States, calling the data unreliable and warning that the request to segregate ballots could disenfranchise voters. The episode underscores how a rushed federal push can endanger eligible citizens while leaning on shaky evidence.
California officials are pushing back against a Justice Department request to separate ballots for roughly 20,000 people the department labels as "likely" noncitizens, warning that the federal demand rests on shaky and potentially harmful data. A preliminary review by Los Angeles County staff found the list unreliable, noting that many of the sampled names showed U.S. birth, which is strong evidence of citizenship and a reminder that careless federal lists can put eligible voters at risk.
The DOJ delivered the list to the county on a thumb drive, later followed by an emailed spreadsheet. Only about 7,000 of the names had Los Angeles County addresses, and some entries were duplicates. County Registrar Dean Logan said a sample of 200 records was examined, underscoring how little confidence can be placed in a sweeping request built on questionable records.
"The review is preliminary and quality control is continuing, but it indicates that the October List is unreliable," wrote Monica Flores, Los Angeles County Assistant Registrar-Recorder.
"38.9% indicate that they were born in the United States, which is strong evidence of citizenship," Flores added.
The sample also showed that 112 of the 200 records were linked to cancelled or inactive registrations, and roughly 70% had no voting history. The state says complying with the DOJ’s demand so close to the election would be impractical and could violate federal and state election laws, especially if the government is trying to sort voters into suspect categories on the basis of weak or duplicate data.
"At best, this litigation is a reckless political stunt. At worst, it threatens to disenfranchise thousands of Californians this election," the state wrote in a court filing.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter acknowledged possible errors in the federal list, saying the government is not perfect and that California’s cooperation is needed. DOJ Deputy Press Secretary Kiersten Pels said the state cannot facilitate a violation of federal law and that the department had asked California to verify citizenship independently, but critics say that does not excuse the reckless handling of voter data.
Separately, the DOJ announced criminal charges against 28 individuals from the list, though some defendants say they were unaware that voting while noncitizen is illegal. One charged individual, 68-year-old Kamlesh Shah, told a local TV station he believed he could vote because he possessed a Real ID and expressed anxiety about the charges.