California AG Calls Voter Fraud Arrests a 'Drop in the Bucket'

California Attorney General Rob Bonta responded defiantly when questioned about a significant voter fraud operation uncovered by federal agents, characterizing the arrested individuals as a "drop in the bucket" relative to the state's vast number of registered voters. The federal crackdown, dubbed "Operation Protect the Vote," resulted in the arrest of 11 individuals accused of noncitizen voting.

During a press conference in San Francisco, Bonta stated that voter fraud is illegal and wrong, but asserted that the number of arrests underscores its rarity. "Every count, recount, hand count, case audit shows that," the attorney general said, referencing the allegations. He further estimated the number of arrested individuals to represent ".0001% of all of the registered voters," concluding that "there is no widespread voter fraud and that there is, at times, isolated one-off examples of voter fraud."

Federal prosecutors announced that 28 noncitizens are facing charges for allegedly making false statements on naturalization paperwork or illegally registering to vote. Among those arrested was José Probitsado Amaro, 51, a citizen of the Philippines residing in National City, San Diego County, who allegedly registered to vote by falsely claiming U.S. citizenship. Alexander Muñoz, 72, a Belizean national from the City of Commerce, was also arrested, accused of fraudulently registering to vote in September 2019 and subsequently voting in 2020, 2022, and 2024 elections.

Bonta reiterated that the arrests demonstrate that widespread voter fraud is not occurring, adding, "when there are isolated incidents … those individuals should be held accountable." He cited the case of an Orange County woman who was prosecuted for registering her pet to vote and subsequently paid for anti-voter fraud billboards as part of a plea deal.

However, First Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli countered Bonta's assessment on X, stating, "Police can’t catch every speeder, but that doesn’t mean speeding isn’t widespread. 28 is what we could charge in a week." This operation marks an escalation in the ongoing dispute between California and the Trump administration concerning alleged voter fraud, particularly in the lead-up to the midterm elections.

Previously, the Justice Department had demanded that California review a list of approximately 20,000 individuals identified as "likely" noncitizens on the state's voter rolls, giving the state 48 hours to comply. California Secretary of State Shirley Weber pushed back, stating that federal officials had provided no evidence to support their claims, referencing a past instance where similar allegations in Nevada were later found to be inaccurate.

Weber criticized the federal government's demands as "unprecedented measures that threaten thousands of Californians’ right to vote, based on unverifiable information or methodology that you still fail to explain or provide." Governor Gavin Newsom characterized the federal lawsuit as a "desperate attempt by Trump to use his politicized Justice Department to try to suppress California voters just three weeks before Election Day."