DOJ Requests Review of Voter Rolls in California

<p>The Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued a warning to California, stating that legal action may be taken unless state and local election officials review a federal list of individuals suspected of being noncitizen voters within 48 hours. This request comes as the Trump administration urges states to ensure voter eligibility ahead of the upcoming November midterm elections.</p><p>The deadline for this review is set for noon Eastern time on Thursday, October 15.</p><p>In letters sent on Tuesday to California Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder Dean Logan, acting Deputy Attorney General R. Trent McCotter requested that officials examine a list of individuals identified by the federal government as likely noncitizens who received mail-in ballots for the November 3 election.</p><p>On Wednesday, Weber's office released a statement criticizing the DOJ's demands, arguing that it requires California to trust the administration without providing evidence or legal authority for its request.</p><p>Weber stated, "The USDOJ's relentless efforts to unlawfully gain access to states' protected voter data and purge voter rolls serve only to cause chaos and fuel public distrust in our elections."</p><p>The DOJ provided Los Angeles County with a password-protected thumb drive containing the names of individuals and requested that officials verify whether any U.S. citizens were mistakenly included. For individuals whose citizenship could not be confirmed, McCotter instructed that their ballots be set aside until their status was clarified.</p><p>The letter also instructed officials to halt sending ballots to individuals on the list who had not yet received one, and to refrain from verifying signatures or counting ballots already returned until citizenship could be established.</p><p>McCotter noted, "If you cannot implement this process by then, given the ongoing federal election, the United States will have no choice but to seek emergency relief." He added, "Allowing noncitizens to vote cancels citizen votes."</p><p>The letters did not specify how many voters are on the list or the methodology used by the federal government to identify them. As of Wednesday, California's election officials had not publicly responded to the DOJ's latest demands. The state began mailing ballots to registered voters on October 5, which may limit the time available for officials to investigate the list before the federal deadline.</p><p>The DOJ defended its actions, citing the federal prohibition against noncitizen voting in federal elections. DOJ spokeswoman Kiersten Pels stated, "This should not be controversial, as the criminal statute is clear: only American citizens may vote in federal elections. The Department will take all necessary legal action to protect election integrity and ensure compliance with federal law."</p><p>These demands are part of a larger initiative by the Trump administration to identify and remove noncitizens from voter registration lists. Federal officials have claimed that hundreds of thousands of noncitizens are registered to vote, although these claims have been challenged regarding the accuracy of the government's data and the actual voting behavior of flagged individuals.</p><p>The administration has also sought unredacted voter registration data from states across the country, filing lawsuits against 30 states and Washington, D.C. for their refusal to provide the requested records. Federal judges have rejected the DOJ's demands for these records in several cases, including litigation involving California.</p><p>Additionally, the administration has faced legal challenges in its election security efforts. The Supreme Court has paused new Postal Service requirements for mail ballots, and courts have blocked parts of Trump's 2025 executive order that imposed new requirements related to proof of citizenship in voter registration.</p>