The US Justice Department has given California election officials 48 hours to help verify the citizenship status of people suspected of being noncitizens on voter registration lists. The demand comes less than two weeks before the November 3 midterm elections and has deepened a dispute between the Trump administration and state leaders.
In letters dated Friday, federal officials warned counties that they could face legal risks if they continued processing ballots without checking the citizenship status of people named on government lists.
The letters were signed by Bilal Essayli, first assistant US attorney for the Central District of California. The Justice Department shared copies of six letters on Saturday.
Essayli warned that officials who counted ballots from people identified by federal agencies as noncitizens could face “significant federal scrutiny and legal exposure.”
The department asked counties to hold, rather than cancel, mail ballots when a person’s citizenship status could not be confirmed. It said the ballots should remain separate until officials could determine whether the voters were eligible.
Federal Officials Cite Thousands of Names
The Justice Department says it previously shared a list of about 20,000 people it alleges are noncitizens registered to vote in California. The latest letters included figures for individual counties.
Federal figures listed 1,754 suspected noncitizens in Orange County and 1,355 in Riverside County. San Bernardino County had 1,133 names on the list.
The department also identified 334 people in Ventura County, 180 in Santa Barbara County and 63 in San Luis Obispo County. A separate letter to Contra Costa County listed 407 people described as likely noncitizens.
The department argued that election officials could face consequences if they knowingly counted ballots cast by people identified as noncitizens by federal agencies.
Essayli said officials should ensure that ballots from people whose citizenship could not be verified were kept separate while the review continued. The request did not call for those ballots to be cancelled immediately.
However, the letters have raised concerns about how the names were selected and what evidence supports the allegations. California officials say the federal government has not provided enough information to justify the requested action.
California Attorney General Criticizes DOJ
California Attorney General Rob Bonta accused the Justice Department of using federal law for political purposes. Speaking to MS Now on Saturday, he said the department was acting at President Donald Trump’s direction.
Bonta argued that the federal government was targeting its political opponents. He called the action improper and accused the department of politicizing law enforcement.
The Contra Costa County Elections Department also questioned the request’s timing. Dawn Kruger, a spokesperson for the office, said the letter arrived 11 days before Election Day and imposed a 48-hour deadline the county considered unenforceable.
Kruger said the department would continue to administer the election under state and federal law.
California Secretary of State Shirley Weber has also opposed the administration’s efforts to obtain voter information. She has accused federal officials of trying to access protected data and remove voters from registration lists unlawfully.
Weber warned that such actions could undermine public confidence in elections.
Earlier Lawsuit Adds to Tensions
The latest letters follow an earlier federal warning issued on October 16. At that time, the Justice Department told Los Angeles County and California election officials they could face legal consequences if they counted mail ballots returned by more than 20,000 people the administration suspects are noncitizens.
The warning came one day after the Trump administration filed a lawsuit seeking to block California from counting ballots from those individuals. On Thursday, the Justice Department asked the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to intervene in the case.
The department has also increased prosecutions of people accused of voting illegally while not being US citizens.
Separately, the White House has pushed federal agencies to speed up reviews of at least 47 state voter rolls obtained by the Department of Homeland Security, according to an internal email reviewed by Reuters.
The efforts reflect the administration’s wider focus on voter registration records and citizenship checks. California officials, however, have challenged the methods and evidence behind the federal requests.
Election Administration Under Pressure
Versions of the latest letters were reportedly sent to all 58 California counties. The short deadline has added pressure on local election offices already preparing for the final stages of the midterm vote.
The central dispute concerns how officials should respond when federal agencies identify a registered voter as a possible noncitizen. The Justice Department says checks are needed to protect election integrity. California leaders say officials need sufficient evidence before taking action that could affect ballots.
The case also raises questions about the balance between federal oversight and state authority over elections.
With voting underway, county officials must decide how to respond to the requests while following applicable laws. The wider legal dispute could influence how the state handles the ballots under review.
The Justice Department continues to press for citizenship checks, while California officials maintain that they will not change their election procedures without a clear legal basis and adequate supporting information.
