Local Politics
California Election Officials Reject Federal Voter-Segregation Demands as Inaccurate
Election officials in Butte, Fresno, San Benito, and Orange counties received federal letters last week demanding they segregate ballots from lists of individuals identified as likely noncitizens, with threats of criminal charges for noncompliance. Local registrars reported the lists were poorly formatted, contained partial or missing identifying information, and included names not on active voter rolls; Butte County found 32 of 47 listed individuals were not registered voters. State officials refused to comply, arguing the federal government risks disenfranchising eligible voters. A federal judge in Los Angeles appeared skeptical of the administration's legal arguments during a Tuesday hearing.