Justice Department sues California over noncitizens getting ballots

The lawsuit is a federal challenge to California’s handling of voter registration records. The Justice Department alleges that noncitizens were unlawfully registered to vote and that some received mail ballots for upcoming midterm elections. It says California did not make a serious effort to correct the alleged problems. The dispute matters because federal law protects voting in federal elections, while states operate the registration systems used to conduct elections.

Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter sent counties lists of suspected noncitizens. He ordered officials, including Los Angeles County, to review the names within 48 hours. The department later asked a federal court to stop California from tabulating certain mail ballots until citizenship could be determined.

California officials rejected the department’s process. Los Angeles County cited privacy and security rules, while Secretary of State Shirley Weber said the federal government had not provided the list. The court must now assess the allegations and the requested election remedy.

A voter roll is a government-maintained list of registered voters. It contains the people election officials recognize as eligible to participate in elections. The list helps officials organize elections, verify registrations, and determine where ballots should be sent. A person’s presence on the roll does not itself prove that every eligibility requirement has been correctly checked.

In this dispute, the Justice Department says suspected noncitizens appeared on California’s rolls and received mail ballots. That connection is important because officials use registration records to prepare and send vote-by-mail materials. The department wants California to pause tabulating ballots from likely noncitizens until their citizenship status is determined.

The article describes a disagreement over how the list should be checked. Federal officials supplied a password-protected thumb drive to Los Angeles County, while county officials said it was not a secure medium. Shirley Weber said the state had not received the names. The lawsuit will test these competing claims.

The central figure in the lawsuit is more than 20,000. The Justice Department alleges that many noncitizens were unlawfully registered to vote and that suspected individuals received mail ballots for upcoming midterm elections. The article presents this as an allegation, not a court finding. The department is asking a judge to determine whether ballots connected to likely noncitizens should be paused.

The federal government sent counties a list of names it said came from the Department of Homeland Security. McCotter’s letter to Los Angeles County included a password-protected thumb drive and required review within 48 hours. County officials declined to examine it, citing data privacy and information security protocols.

The article also mentions a broader claim that California had 190,000 noncitizens on its voter rolls. Secretary of State Shirley Weber called that claim unsubstantiated and said the Justice Department had not provided the list. The two figures should not be treated as identical.

The article does not explain the legal rule in detail. Under established federal election law, voting in federal elections is limited to eligible United States citizens. That rule is separate from immigration status. A noncitizen may lawfully live, work, or pay taxes in the country without gaining the legal right to vote for federal offices.

This distinction explains the Justice Department’s allegation. Its lawsuit is not claiming that every person suspected of being a noncitizen is unlawfully present. Instead, it argues that noncitizens were improperly registered and may have received mail ballots. The department says California should help identify and remove such registrations or prevent questionable ballots from being counted.

The dispute is about both eligibility and evidence. California officials say the federal government made unsubstantiated claims and did not provide the names through an acceptable process. A court must decide whether the department’s evidence supports intervention in California’s election administration.

The Justice Department asks the court to prevent California from presently tabulating vote-by-mail ballots from likely noncitizens. If granted, that order could require election officials to separate or hold those ballots while citizenship status is reviewed. The immediate effect would concern questioned ballots, not necessarily every mail ballot cast in California.

The department’s proposed mechanism is a court injunction. It wants the judge to require California to pause counting ballots whose voters are considered likely noncitizens. The lawsuit frames this as ordinary election relief when a ballot’s eligibility is questioned. California has not accepted the department’s review process, so the court must first evaluate the evidence and the competing procedures.

The article does not say that the lawsuit would automatically change an election result. It also does not state how many ballots would ultimately be rejected. The forward implication is possible litigation, review, and delays for disputed ballots while the court considers the claims.

California officials say they are not rejecting voter-roll maintenance itself; they are rejecting the federal government’s delivery and review method. Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder Dean Logan said the password-protected thumb drive was not a secure medium. He said examining it would conflict with established data privacy and information security protocols.

The disagreement became concrete when McCotter sent the drive with names allegedly compiled by the Department of Homeland Security. He gave the county 48 hours to review them. Secretary of State Shirley Weber said the Justice Department had not provided the list and criticized claims that California had 190,000 noncitizens on its rolls.

These disputes raise concerns about whether sensitive voter data is transferred securely, whether lists are accurate, and how agencies may share information. The Justice Department has filed lawsuits seeking unredacted voter rolls and acknowledged plans to share data with Homeland Security. The court will address the legal conflict over access and review.

The article shows a divided election system. California officials manage voter registration records and county election operations. The Los Angeles County registrar handles local records, while the California secretary of state represents statewide election administration. These officials maintain and review voter rolls under state procedures.

The federal government has a different role. The Justice Department enforces federal voting laws and can investigate alleged violations or ask courts for remedies. In this case, it sent counties suspected names, sought access to unredacted voter rolls, and sued California over alleged noncitizen registrations and ballots. Homeland Security was identified as a source for one list.

The article also shows that these responsibilities can overlap and conflict. California officials refused the thumb-drive review because of security protocols, while federal officials accused the state of failing to cooperate. The broader legal question is how federal enforcement powers interact with state control of election administration. The cited cases show continuing litigation rather than a settled resolution.