Analysis Finds Over 40% of DOJ's Alleged Noncitizen Voters Not on California Rolls

More than 40% of the names flagged as potential noncitizen voters in California by the Trump administration cannot be found on the state's voter rolls, according to an analysis included in a legal filing by an immigrant rights group. The filing represents the first outside examination of a list the Department of Justice has used to threaten election officials with prosecution.

The analysis also indicated that thousands of U.S. citizens appear to be erroneously listed as ineligible to vote. These findings were detailed in a filing by two UCLA data scientists who examined the 20,930 names the Department of Justice demanded California election officials treat as illegal voters, potentially requiring their ballots to be separated during vote counting. Multiple judges have previously rejected such demands as unconstitutional and detrimental to democracy, while state and local officials have stated the list appears to be rife with inaccuracies.

The UCLA Voting Rights Project researchers, who are part of a lawsuit challenging the list with the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, found that 8,880 names, or 42% of the total list, do not correspond to anyone in California's current voter file. Their research also identified at least 22 individuals confirmed as U.S. citizens, with indications that many more names on the list may belong to confirmed citizens.

"This review proves, at least as a preponderance of the evidence, that demands of election officials under criminal and civil threats, endangers the voting rights of plaintiff CHIRLA's members and clients," stated the filing, which was co-signed by Xavier Becerra, an adviser to the UCLA Voting Rights Project. The Trump administration had previously opposed sharing the list, describing it as a "fishing expedition" and noting the inclusion of sensitive information.