A review of a federal list of suspected noncitizen voters in California has found major errors, raising fresh concerns about the Trump administration’s efforts to challenge voter records. More than 42% of the names examined could not be matched to anyone in the state’s current voter files, according to a court filing submitted on Saturday.
The analysis also found that some people on the list are US citizens who have the legal right to vote. The findings have added new pressure to a legal dispute over the federal government’s attempt to identify people it suspects of voting illegally.
Two data experts from the University of California, Los Angeles, reviewed 20,930 names provided by the US Department of Justice. The department had demanded that California election officials separate ballots linked to the listed individuals during the vote count on Election Day.
The results were presented by the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, known as CHIRLA, and members of UCLA’s Voting Rights Project. The groups are challenging the use of federal immigration data to question state voter records.
Their filing said 8,880 names, or about 42% of the full list, did not match anyone in California’s current voter database. Researchers also identified at least 22 people who were US citizens. They warned that many more names could belong to eligible voters.
The groups argue that the errors could place lawful voters at risk. They say the government should not use an unreliable list to demand changes to voter records or question ballots without proper checks.
Xavier Becerra, a Democratic candidate for California governor and an adviser to the UCLA Voting Rights Project, joined the filing. The plaintiffs say their findings show that the federal list could affect people who have every legal right to take part in elections.
The latest analysis follows several court decisions that rejected the administration’s demand to separate ballots linked to suspected noncitizens. Judges raised concerns about the legality of the effort and its possible effect on voting rights.
The federal government had resisted sharing the list with the groups. Officials described the request as an attempt to obtain sensitive information without a proper reason. However, a federal judge ordered the administration on Friday to provide the list to the plaintiffs, allowing them to carry out a wider review.
Bill Essayli, the US attorney overseeing the federal case in Los Angeles, rejected the analysis on Saturday. He called the report false and criticized CHIRLA, describing it as an activist group.
President Donald Trump also attacked the court decisions in a social media post. He claimed that the Justice Department had found 20,000 potentially fraudulent votes and suggested that the total could reach hundreds of thousands or even millions. He questioned why judges had rejected the effort to address what he described as election fraud.
The administration has pursued similar action in Washington state. It urged officials there to remove about 400 people it identified as possible noncitizens on voter rolls. State election officials questioned the accuracy of that list and said it included a person who had voted in the 1990s.
The Justice Department has warned California election officials that they could face criminal liability if noncitizens vote. It has also issued subpoenas to election offices as part of its investigation.
Local officials have raised concerns about the timing of the federal demands. They say the lists often arrive shortly before Election Day, leaving little time to check each name before making changes to voter records.
Election officials must follow legal rules when removing people from voter rolls. They argue that confirming a person’s identity and citizenship takes time. Acting too quickly could lead to eligible voters being wrongly removed or their ballots being challenged.
On Friday, a federal judge in California ordered the Justice Department to stop sending certain demands to state officials. The administration appealed the ruling on Saturday. Several counties had already checked parts of the list and reported numerous errors.
CHIRLA and the UCLA project filed a lawsuit in early October to challenge the use of federal immigration data in voter registration reviews. Their case also points to other states where government data wrongly identified thousands of citizens as possible noncitizens.
Under the administration’s method, the UCLA researchers found that nearly 7,500 naturalized citizens in California were highly likely to have been wrongly flagged. Naturalized citizens who meet the legal requirements have the same voting rights as other US citizens.
The researchers also raised concerns about missing voter identification numbers. They said removing these numbers made it harder for officials to confirm identities and spot duplicate entries.
The Justice Department says its efforts aim to protect election integrity. Department spokesperson Kiersten V. Pels argued that ballots cast by ineligible voters could undermine the votes of eligible Americans. She said the department would continue its work to protect lawful voting.
The legal dispute now centers on the accuracy of the federal list and the risk of wrongly challenging eligible voters. Further court decisions will help determine whether the administration can continue using its current methods and what checks must be in place to protect voting rights.
