Justice Department launches criminal probe into alleged noncitizen voter registrations in California

The Justice Department announced a criminal investigation in California after reports that thousands of noncitizens may be registered to vote in the state. The probe includes grand jury subpoenas issued to employees of the Los Angeles County registrar-recorder’s office and to the Orange County registrar of voters, seeking unredacted voter registration data for up to 80 individuals.

Los Angeles County registrar Dean Logan said court rulings have confirmed that election officials are complying with the law and emphasized that “threats and intimidation have no place in elections.”

“At every step, the US Department of Justice has taken a confrontational, adversarial approach,” Logan added. “We will take whatever steps necessary to ensure the safety of our employees and to remain focused on serving the voters of Los Angeles County so they can exercise their voting franchise.”

A federal judge on Wednesday denied the administration’s request to order California officials to segregate and discard ballots from as many as 20,000 voters the White House alleges could be noncitizens. Judge David Carter described the request as an unprecedented attempt by the federal government to interfere with state election procedures on the eve of an election.

“This case is about the right of every American citizen to vote in a free and fair election,” Carter said. “Never before in American history has the federal government, on the eve of an election, sought to coerce a state and local government to abandon their own Constitutional elections procedures and bend to the will of the Executive Branch.”

The judge appointed a special master to review the administration’s claims. Earlier this month, the Justice Department also filed criminal charges against 28 green-card holders in California accused of fraudulently registering and voting.