Trump administration sues California over alleged noncitizens on voter rolls
The Justice Department wants a court to block mail-in ballots from about 20,000 voters it says are noncitizens, three weeks before midterm elections; California calls it a manufactured emergency.
At a glance
- The DOJ sued California in federal court, seeking to block mail-in ballots from about 20,000 people it says are noncitizens.
- California Secretary of State Shirley Weber says no list was sent to her office and calls the 48-hour demand an emergency of the DOJ's creation.
- Governor Gavin Newsom says the lawsuit is an attempt to suppress voters three weeks before the November 3 midterm elections.
The US Department of Justice sued California on Thursday, asking a federal court in the state to stop officials from counting mail-in ballots cast by people on a list the agency says contains about 20,000 noncitizens.
The lawsuit followed a 48-hour deadline the department gave election officials in several California counties on Tuesday, warning of further action if they did not review lists of allegedly ineligible voters. The DOJ said it had tried to "work collaboratively" with the state to identify noncitizens registered to vote, but that California made no serious effort to do so.
California pushes back
California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, who administers elections in the state, replied in a three-page letter saying she wanted to set the record straight. She said the administration is demanding unprecedented measures that threaten thousands of Californians' right to vote, based on information and methods that have not been explained.
Weber said she was told the lists given to local officials name roughly 20,000 people, but that no list was ever sent to her office. She described the demand as "an emergency of the DOJ's creation", noting officials were being asked to confirm the citizenship of about 20,000 people within 48 hours on the eve of an election.
Election officials in Los Angeles County, one of the offices that received the ultimatum, said it came 21 days before the midterm elections. The county said it received a thumb drive along with the letter and a handwritten note appearing to contain a password, and would not try to open it because the device was not considered a secure medium. It said state law requires removals from voter lists to be based on verifiable information.
Governor Gavin Newsom called the lawsuit a "sad, desperate attempt" by Trump to suppress California voters three weeks before Election Day, adding that courts have made clear the federal government has no role in running state elections.
Court rulings and a rare problem
President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that large numbers of noncitizens vote in Democratic-led states. State officials say such voting is negligible and does not justify intervention so close to the November 3 elections.
Earlier this month, a federal judge in Florida ruled that a federal law criminalising voting by noncitizens was unconstitutional, saying only states have authority over voter qualifications. The DOJ has at least 45 pending cases nationwide in which defendants could raise the same argument. Another judge ruled this month that the DOJ unlawfully sought state voter rolls for cross-checking against the SAVE immigration database, which reports have found can flag citizens as noncitizens.
In September, the Supreme Court rejected an administration effort to restrict mail-in ballots. Two dozen states, led by Democrats, have sued over attempts to limit mail-in voting. The Election Assistance Commission says about 30 percent of ballots cast in 2024 were sent by mail, with heavier use in western states such as California.
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- Why is the Trump administration suing California over voter rolls?
- The Justice Department asked a federal court to stop California from counting mail-in ballots from voters on a list it shared with the state that it says contains about 20,000 noncitizens. The DOJ said California made no serious effort to review the list.
- What does California say about the DOJ's noncitizen voter list?
- Secretary of State Shirley Weber said no list was ever sent to her office, and that officials were being asked to confirm the citizenship of about 20,000 people within 48 hours before an election. She called it an emergency of the DOJ's creation.
- How common is noncitizen voting in US elections?
- California officials say the number of noncitizen voters is negligible and does not warrant intervention weeks before elections. The source notes Trump has repeatedly made the claim without evidence, and that the issue is a very rare occurrence.
