The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a last-minute request from the Trump administration to intervene in California's midterm election vote count, effectively ending the administration's effort to set aside approximately 20,000 ballots that it alleged may have been cast by non-citizens.
The Justice Department had asked the court to halt the counting of these ballots, arguing that allowing non-citizens to vote could "debase or dilute valid votes." This move came just before the midterm elections, which will determine which party controls the U.S. Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump's term.
Two lower courts had previously rejected the administration's request. State election officials had raised concerns about the accuracy of the federal government's claims, stating that the methodology used to identify alleged non-citizens was flawed and that eligible voters could be disenfranchised. They also argued that segregating ballots while voting is ongoing would be unfeasible.
The Supreme Court issued a one-line order denying the Justice Department's request for an injunction pending appeal. This means the rulings of the lower courts will stand.
The Trump administration's actions were part of a broader campaign questioning the integrity of elections, particularly mail-in voting, despite research indicating that voter fraud is extremely rare. A federal judge had previously criticized the government's move in California as an "ongoing pattern of attempted election interference" by the Trump administration.
As of Sunday night, California, the most populous state, had already received over six million mail-in ballots for the midterm elections, according to the California secretary of state's office.