Trump Administration Demands California Identify 'Noncitizen' Voters Days Before Midterms

The Trump administration has significantly escalated its intervention in the upcoming midterm elections by demanding that California election officials identify thousands of suspected noncitizen voters and set aside their ballots within 48 hours. The demands, issued by the Department of Justice on Friday, carry a warning of potential federal scrutiny for local officials who do not cooperate, raising concerns among voting rights advocates about potential election interference.

The Justice Department's directive follows a lawsuit aimed at preventing the counting of ballots from over 20,000 individuals the administration believes may be noncitizens. State officials, however, have expressed concerns that the federal government's data is unreliable and could lead to eligible American voters' ballots being improperly withheld. The letters were sent to counties across California, a predominantly Democratic state, giving administrators a tight deadline to verify citizenship status for individuals flagged by federal authorities.

For any voter whose eligibility cannot be immediately confirmed, the Justice Department wants their mail ballots segregated from others until further investigation. Officials were instructed to "segregate - not cancel" these ballots. The department also requested sensitive personal information, including Social Security numbers and identification records. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli warned that "any election official who knowingly processes the ballot of a noncitizen is opening themselves to legal jeopardy."

Justice Department spokeswoman Kiersten Pels stated that the intervention is intended to "ensure the most secure election in California history," and other federal prosecutors emphasized that the actions are aimed at protecting legitimate voters, not favoring any political party. Craig Missakian, U.S. attorney for California's Northern District, said, "What we care about is making sure that every legitimate vote is counted, that we ensure a level playing field for all Americans."

However, the administration's demands have met resistance from some election officials. In Contra Costa County, officials stated they would continue processing ballots normally, with county elections spokeswoman Dawn Kruger telling The New York Times, "It's 11 days from Election Day, and this is just not in line with regular precedents." San Bernardino County received a list of 1,133 names, while Santa Cruz County was asked to investigate 81 individuals. In some cases, the federal data has proven inaccurate; Inyo County officials found that the two individuals flagged had not been issued ballots and had not previously voted in California. Mendocino County officials reported that the names provided did not belong to their jurisdiction.

Los Angeles County registrar Dean Logan accused federal authorities of adopting a "posture of intimidation." California has over 23 million registered voters, and more than 330,000 mail ballots had already been counted as of the court filings.

Federal prosecutors had previously announced that 28 individuals identified through their investigation had been charged with offenses related to illegal registration and unlawful voting. Noncitizen voting is prohibited in federal elections, though research indicates it occurs rarely.

In a separate but related action, President Trump acknowledged on Friday that he personally ordered his administration to pursue legal action that could prevent the certification of Alaska's Senate election if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses. The dispute in Alaska involves another candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, whose name is nearly identical to the incumbent, and Republicans fear voter confusion could impact the outcome. The Justice Department seeks to block certification of a potential Democratic victory by Mary Peltola while an investigation determines voter intent. Alaska's Supreme Court has already rejected an effort to remove the challenger, who maintains he entered the race independently. Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski criticized the federal intervention, and Peltola condemned the legal challenge as "flagrant corruption."

Attorney General Todd Blanche denied that the litigation in California was intended to obstruct the certification of the midterms, stating, "It is not DOJ's intention to, and it's never our intention to, improperly interfere with elections or the state certification process."