Local Politics · San Benito County
Federal Agents Demand Voter Data from San Benito County Election Office
Two armed federal agents visited the San Benito County Registrar of Voters office on Lana Way on Oct. 23, hand-delivering a Department of Justice letter listing 33 people allegedly registered to vote in the county as noncitizens. The letter gave the office 48 hours to provide Social Security numbers, driver's license information, and voter application records, and requested segregation of vote-by-mail ballots for those listed. Registrar Francisco Diaz said the demand was not a judicial court order or formal criminal subpoena, and that his office is reviewing it with legal counsel before releasing any nonpublic information. A review by the registrar's office found that not all individuals on the list are currently registered to vote in San Benito County. A DOJ spokesperson said the department is asking county election officials to help DHS verify citizenship status.