The Justice Department gave California officials 48 hours to review the list and take steps to identify the alleged noncitizen voters, or face potential legal challenges, NBC News detailed. McCotter’s letter requested officials either segregate the ballots of those identified or prevent them from being sent in the first place. The move comes less than three weeks before the November election, a timing election officials view as problematic, according to NBC News.
California’s Response and Concerns About Security
California Secretary of State Shirley Weber confirmed receipt of the letter but stated the Justice Department did not provide the list [of alleged noncitizens] to our office,
CBS News reported. Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder Dean Logan also received the letter and a thumb drive, but stated his office had not accessed the drive due to security concerns. We do not consider the device a secure medium,
Logan said in a statement. He added that federal and state laws are clear on how voter eligibility is established.
Federal Claims and Past Scrutiny
The Justice Department’s actions follow claims by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin in July that 250,000 noncitizens were registered to vote in four states, including California, CBS News reported. However, those claims have faced scrutiny. In Nevada, after the federal government identified them to the state, the number of actual registered noncitizens turned out to be zero, as ABC News noted. The Justice Department has also filed lawsuits against 30 states and Washington, D.C., for refusing.
California Is Blocking a Federal Audit of Its Voter RollsCalifornia allows first-time voters to register using forms of ID that most Americans would find surprising, including:-Gym membership card-Employer ID card-Credit or debit card-Prescription drug label-Insurance… pic.twitter.com/kOEOzpctmb
— https://x.com/USAttyEssayli/status/2063664190473351169
Legal and Political Reactions
California Attorney General Rob Bonta criticized the Justice Department’s actions as part of a pattern of false claims about voter fraud, the, Los Angeles Times reported. Justin Levitt, an NBC News contributor and former DOJ attorney, stated the federal government has no authority to compel California to comply, according to NBC News. Corrin Rankin, chairwoman of the California Republican Party, called for an “immediate” response from state officials, the, New York Post reported.
What Remains Unclear
The exact number of voters flagged by the Justice Department remains unknown. The Los Angeles Times noted the letter did not specify the number of individuals involved or the information contained on the thumb drive. The legal basis for the demand is also being questioned, with election officials suggesting it may violate federal law prohibiting significant voter roll changes close to an election, according to NBC News.
If individuals on the list have not yet been sent a vote-by-mail ballot, take all immediate and reasonable steps to not provide a ballot to those individuals until we confirm their citizenship status,
stated the letter from the DOJ.
More dangerous nonsense from a President losing his grip on reality.Trump is now demanding that California election officials VIOLATE federal law.Apparently, the rule of law only matters when it's convenient for MAGA's dear leader.California's elections are NOT Donald… pic.twitter.com/g5MaNSLsx4
— https://x.com/GavinNewsom/status/2110550168202621060
More on Justice Department
NEW: The Trump administration is threatening legal action against California if it allows people on a list of alleged noncitizens to vote.The names in question are derived from a list the administration “believes are likely noncitizens.” https://t.co/oXeJ4RTKol
— https://x.com/DemocracyDocket/status/2110366132028784832
Trump’s DOJ is using false claims of voter fraud to threaten Californians’ right to vote just weeks before Election Day. Stripping eligible Americans of their votes is an outrageous, desperate attempt to rig our elections.Let’s send Donald Trump a message on November 3rd:…
— https://x.com/XavierBecerra/status/2110507954839707836