Justice Department Files Suit Against California Election Officials

The Trump administration filed a lawsuit against California election officials on Thursday, asking a federal judge to prevent the state from counting mail-in ballots submitted by individuals the federal government has identified as "likely" noncitizens. The suit seeks to block these ballots from being tallied in the upcoming midterm elections until the voters' citizenship status is confirmed.

Federal Government Raises Concerns Over Voter Eligibility

The lawsuit follows action from the Department of Justice (DOJ), which stated that California officials missed a 48-hour deadline to review a password-protected thumb drive. This drive allegedly contains a list of 20,000 names that the federal government believes are likely noncitizens who received ballots for the November 3 election. California, which mails ballots to all registered voters, was previously warned of potential legal action in a letter from a top DOJ official earlier in the week.

Questions Surround Security and Methodology of Data

Dean Logan, Registrar for Los Angeles County, reported that his office had received the letter and thumb drive, accompanied by a handwritten note providing the password to access the list of alleged noncitizens. Logan expressed reservations about the security of the device. Additionally, the California secretary of state's office noted that the password had been written on a sticky note.

The Justice Department's lawsuit asserts that federal authorities aimed to "work collaboratively" with California to identify noncitizens registered to vote, but claims that “California made no serious effort to do so.” The suit asks the court to order California to stop counting mail-in ballots from likely noncitizens until each voter’s citizenship status can be formally established.

California's Response to Federal Claims

In a statement issued late Wednesday, the California secretary of state's office disputed the federal government’s claims of collaboration. Secretary of State Shirley Weber, who is named in the lawsuit, stated that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had previously claimed that California’s voter rolls included 190,000 noncitizens. However, Weber said the DHS did not provide any methodology or data sources to substantiate these claims when her office requested them.

Governor Gavin Newsom, also a Democrat, did not immediately comment further but called the Trump administration’s request “more dangerous nonsense from a President losing his grip on reality” in a social media post. He vowed, “California’s elections are NOT Donald Trump’s to control. We will ensure EVERY California voter can participate in a free and fair election.”

Defending California's Election Security Protocols

California Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, representing Los Angeles, denounced the lawsuit at a press conference, asserting, “California has some of the most secure and safe election protocols of any state in the country.” Bryan emphasized the importance of ensuring that every eligible voter can participate safely and that each vote is counted.

The DOJ’s letter, sent by acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter, asked the state to evaluate the provided list for errors and to instruct local officials to segregate ballots of anyone whose citizenship could not be independently verified until their status could be determined.

National Context: Ongoing Debate Over Election Security

The Trump administration has prioritized efforts to identify noncitizen voters during the 2024 election cycle, although incidents appear to be rare. The DOJ has charged approximately 90 people with various types of election misconduct this year, including 50 individuals accused of voting as noncitizens, out of more than 227 million registered voters in the United States.

In July, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin sent similar letters to election officials in Nevada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, in addition to California, alleging that up to 250,000 noncitizens were registered across those states. Election officials expressed skepticism about these assertions, and Weber reiterated doubts about the reliability of the federal data, stating her office had not provided their registration list to any federal agency.

Ongoing Federal and State Dispute Over Voter Rolls

The lawsuit highlights the ongoing tension between federal and state authorities over questions of voter eligibility, ballot verification, and control of election procedures as the midterm elections approach.

Source: abc13.com.