State officials challenge federal audit of 20,000 ballots before midterms

An appeals court will hear arguments on Tuesday regarding a federal demand that California counties verify the citizenship of roughly 20,000 voters within 48 hours. The legal battle erupted after state officials declined to act on letters sent by the Department of Justice on Friday, citing the proximity of the midterm elections. The dispute centers on a list provided by federal prosecutors that California election personnel argue contains data errors and lacks sufficient evidence of voter ineligibility.

The primary point of contention is the timeline for verification. Federal officials requested that counties commit to providing necessary information for the Department of Homeland Security to quickly confirm citizenship status. State election officials contend that processing 20,000 records in two days creates a high risk of removing eligible citizens from the rolls. Los Angeles officials stated this week that a high percentage of the individuals on the list were born in the United States, suggesting the federal data may be flawed.

Attorney General Rob Bonta characterized the federal action as an improper use of legal resources to attack political opponents. He told MS Now that the Justice Department was acting at the direction of President Donald Trump to politicize the law. Bonta noted that the department provided only names without explanations for why those individuals were supposedly ineligible. He argued that if the federal government possessed specific evidence of fraud, it should have been shared prior to the 48 hour deadline.

The Justice Department framed its request as a measure to secure the integrity of the vote. In a statement, the department said it was asking counties to help ensure the most secure election in California history. This demand is part of a wider national effort by Republican officials to scrutinize voter rolls, particularly in states with large populations of noncitizens. The department recently charged 28 foreign nationals with fraudulently registering to vote. Bill Essayli, first assistant US attorney, said the arrests proved that California was mailing ballots to noncitizens and refusing to comply with federal law.

The list of 20,000 voters includes people who are suspected of voting without US citizenship. While noncitizen voting is rare, the Justice Department has increased prosecutions of such cases as the midterms approach. Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the process on social media, claiming the department sent counties lists of people who never voted or who voted in the wrong county. Congressman Pete Aguilar, who represents south west San Bernardino county, wrote that voter intimidation has no place in the democracy. The defendants in the recent fraud case are lawful permanent residents who hold legal status but are not citizens eligible to vote.