DOJ asks Washington to set aside ballots from 400 alleged noncitizens

The Justice Department asked Washington election officials to separate ballots from 405 identified voters and hold them aside. Officials would hold those ballots until each person’s citizenship status was confirmed, according to the request.

Prosecutors said many listed voters were green-card holders, legal residents who cannot vote federally. They claimed the group cast more than 1,500 ballots across multiple elections. Washington’s secretary of state questioned the list’s accuracy.

Steve Hobbs said one record dated to 1994 and warned that the system can mistakenly flag citizens. The Justice Department sent only a letter, not a lawsuit, so Washington faced no order to separate ballots. The request came one week before the Nov. 3 election, raising concerns about voter confusion and delays.

A green-card holder has lawful permanent resident status, allowing them to live and work permanently in the United States. That status does not make them a citizen, so federal law generally bars them from voting in federal elections.

Washington prosecutors said 405 registered voters were green-card holders or other suspected noncitizens. They estimated those voters cast more than 1,500 ballots. They asked officials to set aside future ballots until citizenship is confirmed. Federal law makes noncitizen voting a crime because federal elections are reserved for citizens choosing national leaders.

However, the article says noncitizen voting is rare, and Washington officials warned the system can wrongly flag citizens. The secretary of state's office also questioned a list containing a record from 1994. The dispute shows why officials must verify citizenship carefully before rejecting ballots, especially near election deadlines.

The Justice Department named 405 Washington voters it believes are not U.S. citizens. It estimated those voters cast more than 1,500 ballots across multiple elections. The article says noncitizen voting is rare.

The comparison is much smaller than the headline numbers suggest. Steve Hobbs said Washington has cast more than 113 million primary and general ballots since 1994. If accurate, 1,500 ballots represent about 0.0013% of that total.

The department used public voter records and government information to identify suspected noncitizens. It asked Washington to set aside possible ballots until citizenship is confirmed. Officials questioned the list’s accuracy. The secretary of state warned the system can mistakenly flag citizens. The Justice Department has not sued Washington over the request, so no ballots have been ordered separated. The figures describe allegations, not confirmed findings.

Federal officials identified the alleged noncitizens by comparing a publicly available Washington voter list with government information. The Department of Homeland Security supplied the comparison after Washington refused to provide its unredacted voter rolls, which contain sensitive personal data.

Prosecutors then investigated whether people on the list had cast Washington ballots. They gave Secretary of State Steve Hobbs names of 405 people, many believed to be green-card holders. Hobbs’s office says the matching system can confuse legitimate citizens with noncitizens, putting their voting rights at risk.

That warning matters because green-card holders cannot vote federally, while citizenship records and voter files may not match perfectly. Hobbs noted one record dated from 1994, and criticized the request’s timing, one week before the Nov. 3 election. The Justice Department has not sued Washington, and federal judges dismissed 27 of its 30 voter-roll lawsuits nationwide.

Officials could wrongly classify an eligible voter as a noncitizen, separate the ballot, and delay counting it. The voter might need to prove citizenship before officials include it, risking a missed or rejected valid vote.

Federal prosecutors asked Washington's Secretary of State Steve Hobbs to set aside ballots from 405 listed voters. They wanted ballots held until citizenship was confirmed. Hobbs's office warned that the Justice Department's matching system can mistakenly flag U.S. citizens. The article does not say any eligible Washington voter's ballot was ultimately rejected. However, the proposed process could interrupt that voter's participation.

The request arrived one week before the Nov. 3 election, leaving little time to resolve mistakes. The Justice Department estimated more than 1,500 ballots had been illegally cast. Hobbs cited more than 113 million ballots cast since 1994 and questioned the list's accuracy. Because noncitizen voting is rare, careful verification matters. Broad errors could burden eligible voters.

Making this request one week before an election creates legal concerns because officials must verify citizenship and follow due process before separating ballots. Washington officials questioned the list’s accuracy, raising risks for eligible voters and their right to vote.

The Justice Department gave Secretary of State Steve Hobbs a list of 405 people and asked officials to hold any ballots they cast until citizenship was confirmed. One record dated from 1994, while more than 113 million ballots had been cast since then. Washington also warned the federal system can mistakenly flag legitimate U.S. citizens, making a rushed review especially risky.

Election offices already faced thousands of possible ballot rejections from delayed postmarks. The Justice Department has not sued Washington, unlike California, where it sought to block counting ballots from 20,000 alleged noncitizens. Officials must balance investigating possible violations with protecting eligible voters and maintaining public confidence.

Voter rolls are official lists of registered voters. They help officials administer elections and check eligibility, including citizenship where required. Comparing these lists with citizenship records can identify people who may be ineligible, but a match is not final proof.

In Washington, federal prosecutors gave Secretary of State Steve Hobbs names of 405 alleged noncitizens. They said many were green-card holders and estimated more than 1,500 ballots had been illegally cast. Homeland Security reportedly compared a public voter list with government information, while the state warned the method can wrongly flag citizens.

Privacy matters because unredacted rolls may include names, addresses, driver’s license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers. Due process means officials need a fair chance to verify citizenship before separating or rejecting ballots. Washington refused the request, and a federal judge dismissed the Justice Department’s lawsuit seeking complete rolls. Noncitizen voting is rare, so enforcement must protect eligible voters.