Justice Department Sues California to Block 20,000 Suspected Noncitizen Ballots

The United States Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit and requested a temporary restraining order to prevent California from counting ballots cast by 20,000 suspected noncitizens. The agency provided a list of these individuals to the California Secretary of State and Los Angeles County officials via a thumb drive, demanding citizenship verification within 48 hours. Federal prosecutors warned that tabulating these ballots could make local officials aiders and abettors to a federal crime.

California officials, including Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta, have refused to comply, accusing the Trump administration of attempting to rig the election. The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk challenged the list's reliability in court, reporting that a sample analysis showed 38.9% of individuals with reported birthplaces were born in the United States. Furthermore, only 7,000 of the 20,000 names had addresses within Los Angeles County.

While the United States Department of Homeland Security compiled the data, it has declined to share its matching methodology. Acting Deputy Attorney General R. Trent McCotter acknowledged the list might contain citizens, though Department of Justice spokesperson Kiersten Pels argued that self-reported birthplaces do not guarantee eligibility. On Monday, the Department of Justice announced that 28 green card holders from the list have been charged with violating federal voting laws, a figure Attorney General Bonta described as a drop in the bucket compared to the state's 23 million registered voters.