Justice Department Asks Washington State to Set Aside Ballots of Alleged Noncitizens
State's top election official expresses skepticism over the timing and intent of the request days before the midterm elections.
The Justice Department has requested that Washington state election officials set aside approximately 400 ballots they believe belong to noncitizen voters. This action by the Trump administration comes just days before the midterm elections.
Federal prosecutors in Washington stated that the individuals on the list represent "only the tip of the iceberg." The demand was made in a letter sent by the state's two U.S. attorneys, according to ABC News. This move mirrors a similar action taken by the Justice Department last week, which filed a lawsuit against California seeking to prevent the counting of over 20,000 ballots allegedly cast by noncitizens.
State officials in Washington have criticized the Justice Department's publicizing of these allegations close to the election, calling it an attempt to create "unfounded suspicion." Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs stated, "We saw what happened in California and don't want Washingtonians to be harassed."
Hobbs responded to the Justice Department's letter by noting that at least one individual on the list dates back to 1994. He pointed out that since then, over 113.5 million ballots have been cast in Washington. "The timing of this request -- one week before the General Election -- is no doubt intended to cast unfounded suspicion on the results," Hobbs said. "We are carefully reviewing the request and assessing the information sought to ensure that our response complies with applicable state and federal laws."
The Justice Department has highlighted isolated cases of alleged noncitizen voting in recent weeks, presenting them as evidence of widespread election fraud. However, evidence suggests that voter fraud and noncitizen voting are exceedingly rare and not extensive enough to influence election outcomes. A federal appeals court previously declined to intervene in the California case, stating that the "emergency" claimed by the DOJ was partly "self-constructed." Local officials in Los Angeles indicated that a sample of the 20,000 ballots surveyed in California showed a "high percentage" of individuals who stated they were born in the U.S.