Justice Department Presses 58 California Counties to Flag Noncitizen Ballots Before Nov. 3 Vote
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 24
Justice Department Presses 58 California Counties to Flag Noncitizen Ballots Before Nov. 3 Vote
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 24
Summary
Letters sent Friday to every California county ordered election officials to help identify potential noncitizens on voter rolls and set aside their ballots.
The Justice Department warned counties they could face “significant federal scrutiny” if they refused, escalating pressure 10 days before the midterm elections.
That demand follows a federal lawsuit seeking to halt the counting of more than 20,000 mail ballots sent to people the administration says may have registered despite lacking U.S. citizenship.
California’s vote-by-mail system is central to the clash: the state sends ballots to all registered voters, while the Trump administration argues that practice could enable noncitizen voting despite scant evidence of widespread fraud.