DOJ pressures California counties to hunt for suspected noncitizen ballots
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Federal prosecutors have sent letters to at least 18 California counties, demanding that officials isolate and verify mail-in ballots the Justice Department claims may belong to noncitizens, all under a 48-hour ultimatum that critics say threatens voting access and election integrity alike.
Federal prosecutors sent letters to county registrars in at least 18 California jurisdictions on Friday, ordering local officials to set aside and verify mail-in ballots that the Justice Department says may belong to noncitizens. The letters impose a 48-hour deadline for counties to provide identifying information – such as Social Security numbers, ID details and registration copies – for voters the government suspects are ineligible.
The move intensifies a legal fight between California and the Justice Department, which has been aggressively pursuing claims of noncitizen voting ahead of the November midterm elections. Earlier this month, the department sued Los Angeles County and the state secretary of state’s office in an attempt to block the counting of votes from more than 20,000 people it labeled “likely” noncitizen voters. A hearing on that case is set for Tuesday.
"Any election official who knowingly processes the ballot of a noncitizen is opening themselves to legal jeopardy," said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.
California officials have pushed back, arguing that the request could delay vote certification and disenfranchise voters. In filings, the state’s secretary of state and the Los Angeles County registrar said the Justice Department’s data is unreliable and that the demands threaten the legitimacy of the upcoming elections.
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has filed dozens of lawsuits nationwide seeking unredacted voter-roll data, but it has lost the majority of those cases. The department also plans to share the information with the Department of Homeland Security for screening purposes.
Democratic Senator Alex Padilla of California criticized the effort, stating that the Justice Department has not provided evidence of widespread voter fraud and lacks authority to interfere in state elections.