Justice Department orders California counties to set aside ballots from suspected noncitizens
Daftar Isi
Federal scrutiny of California mail ballots grows
Activelifezero.com – The Justice Department orders California counties to review voter records tied to people it identifies as suspected noncitizens and to set aside mail ballots connected to those names before they are tabulated. The directive was issued Friday, shortly before the midterm election, as the Trump administration expands its examination of voter-registration rolls.
County election offices were instructed to work with the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security to assess the citizenship status of people listed in federal records. The request comes amid the administration’s continuing focus on election fraud claims, including President Donald Trump’s unsupported assertions of widespread cheating in elections.
In a letter to San Bernardino County officials, First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli warned that counting ballots cast by people identified by federal agencies as noncitizens could expose election workers to legal consequences.
“If persons knowingly tabulate ballots cast by individuals identified by federal agencies as noncitizens, they risk becoming aiders and abettors to a federal crime,” Essayli wrote.
California counties examine federal lists
Several counties confirmed they had received notices from the federal government, although initial reviews raised doubts about whether many of the people named were active voters in those counties.
Santa Cruz County received a list of 81 names and was still reviewing the information Saturday. County Clerk Tricia Webber said most records checked so far involved people whose registrations were no longer active in the county.
“They are either canceled or inactive records,” Webber said.
Webber said at least one person named in the federal material had never registered in Santa Cruz County. Modoc County, in northeastern California, also received one name that appeared never to have been registered there.
Marin County received a list of 48 people described as “likely aliens,” while Solano County said its list included 170 names. Nevada County reviewed 10 names and said it was confident that state and federal requirements were being followed. Santa Clara, Napa, Butte and Amador counties also confirmed receiving letters. Riverside County said Saturday afternoon that it had not received one.
Dispute centers on ballot handling and voter eligibility
The Justice Department orders California counties to take action during an election period, rather than limiting its request to routine future voter-roll maintenance. Officials are being asked to determine which people on the federal lists are citizens and which are not while mail ballots are already being processed.
The latest letters follow an October 13 demand from acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter to Los Angeles County and California Secretary of State Shirley Weber. That letter gave officials 48 hours to review a federal list of suspected noncitizens who had been sent mail ballots for the November election.
The earlier package included a password-protected thumb drive containing names of people the administration believed were likely not citizens. Los Angeles County officials were asked to temporarily segregate ballots when citizenship could not be verified, rather than immediately canceling voter registrations.
Los Angeles County Clerk Dean C. Logan responded that eligibility decisions and voter-roll removals must follow established legal requirements.
“Federal and state laws are clear on how voter eligibility is established – and any action to remove a voter from eligibility must be based on verifiable information, not assertions of unconfirmed data matching,” Logan said.
The disagreement highlights the tension between maintaining accurate voter-registration records and protecting eligible voters from removal or ballot disruption based on unverified information. California election officials must apply state procedures governing registration, ballot processing and voter protections while responding to federal requests.
Federal lawsuit seeks to halt counting of certain ballots
The Justice Department sued California and Los Angeles County last week, seeking to stop the counting of more than 20,000 mail ballots associated with people the government considers likely noncitizens. A federal judge scheduled a hearing for the following week, but the department asked the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday to intervene sooner.
“Every minute of processing that occurs without segregating the ballots of suspected ineligible voters causes untraceable disenfranchisement and dilution of the votes of United States citizens,” the Justice Department wrote in its motion.
Logan told the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials that the more recent letter used intimidation and threats toward local election personnel less than two weeks before the election. The Justice Department orders California counties to act on its lists, while county officials continue to review whether the named people are registered voters and whether the underlying information can be verified.
Frequently asked questions
What are California counties being asked to do?
Counties are being asked to review names supplied by federal agencies, assess citizenship information and set aside mail ballots connected to people whose eligibility cannot be verified before ballots are tabulated.
Does receiving a federal list mean a person is ineligible to vote?
No. County officials have said federal lists must be reviewed and that voter eligibility decisions must be based on verifiable information and established legal standards.
Which counties have confirmed receiving letters?
Santa Cruz, Modoc, Marin, Solano, Nevada, Santa Clara, Napa, Butte and Amador counties confirmed receiving notices. Riverside County said it had not received one as of Saturday afternoon.
What is happening in the lawsuit?
The Justice Department is seeking to stop the counting of more than 20,000 mail ballots linked to people it considers likely noncitizens. A federal judge set a hearing for the following week, while the department also requested faster action from the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals.
