Federal prosecutors have escalated their legal battle with California by sending letters to county registrars across the state, demanding that local officials set aside and verify ballots that may belong to noncitizens. This directive comes as the Department of Justice (DoJ) intensifies its scrutiny of voter eligibility ahead of the midterm elections.
Context
On Friday, the Los Angeles County registrar confirmed receiving a letter from the DoJ, which asserts that certain ballots may have been cast by individuals who are not U.S. citizens. This move is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to address claims of noncitizen voting, despite data indicating that such occurrences are rare and typically do not affect election outcomes.
Earlier this month, the federal government initiated a lawsuit against Los Angeles County and the California Secretary of State’s office, aiming to prevent the counting of votes from approximately 20,000 individuals identified as likely noncitizen voters. A hearing on this case is scheduled for Tuesday.
Developments
The Trump administration has requested the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to intervene in the lawsuit, seeking a ruling before a decision is made by the district judge. The deadline for this request was set for Saturday. As of now, at least 18 counties in California have received similar letters from the DoJ, which require them to provide identifying information for ballots suspected of being cast by noncitizens within 48 hours.
